The Power of the European King
by ulfark
Summary: AU: After the assassination of his mother Lelouch plots his revenge. He can never move freely inside the empire, so he must escape to another country without becoming another political hostage. However only one place is opposed to Britannia and can actually do something about it and that's the EU! Tags: political, realistic, manipulative.
1. Check almost checkmate

**The Power of the European King**

**Chapter One Check Almost Checkmate**

**Prologue**

**Seventeenth of February 2009 Ascension Throne Britannia**

**Holy Empire of Britannia, Pendragon, Aries Villa**

Lelouch was sitting at a long table, pondering his next move. Opposite of him sat his older brother Schneizel, who was far too serene for the young prince's tastes.

He knew he couldn't beat his brother quite yet, but that unperturbed façade was infuriating nonetheless. He could sympathize with how Schneizel's opponents must feel. Dominated, just by that warm open expression.

It was like every move you made merely prolonged the inevitable, and only played into his hands even more. The infuriating part was that Schneizel had the mind to make that feeling reality. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy that quickly became stated fact.

"Are our siblings still calling you the peasant prince Lelouch?" Schneizel asked, after finally making his move. Lelouch grimaced briefly at the reminder, but replied, "Yes, not that it bothers me."

"Oh? How mature of you." It was said calmly, but he clearly didn't buy it.

Lelouch could have expanded of course, that he was proud of his mother's accomplishments. She alone had risen on her own merit, and not on her ancestors' glory. Most of the nobles were incompetent fools, relying on past events to carry them, but his mother had risen it in one generation, and before the age of 40 at that.

"They could only wish for a mother half as capable as mine." He said, giving in to his temptation.

"Indeed, not many could have made it all the way from a farmer's daughter to Empress!" He let out a small chuckle. "They call me a prodigy, but I could never surpass your mother's accomplishments." He said it with a smile that revealed nothing, as usual.

It was still quite early in the race for the next Emperor, but already Schneizel was being pegged as a favorite. Cornelia was the runner up, what with her military career. Odysseus though, despite his head start, was losing ground fast to his younger siblings. Already, he was starting to retreat towards being mostly involved in the arts.

In other words, he'd already given up, and was building a reputation as a useless idiot. At the very least, it was an effort to make it not worthwhile to assassinate him without reason. Sure, he was first in line for the throne, but that didn't mean he had to die before another took that position. So long as he publicly announced he was willing to abdicate, then he was no longer a real threat to the others. He hadn't yet of course, because it would make him look weak, but all the players knew the subtle hints that he would when required.

"Even the great Schneizel recognizes her brilliance, though I must admit, there was a fair bit of luck involved." It wouldn't do to brag distastefully, especially when it wasn't about his own accomplishments. He despised those weak fools who recited their ancestor's deeds like they were their own, to make themselves seem more important.

"True. A chance encounter with Ruben Ashford, and becoming the test pilot for the Ganymede were both crucial to her success." The statement was made casually, while he made his move to take his knight.

"Indeed, or she would never have sparked the interest of our father. But I believe she would have gone far regardless." said Lelouch. Despite his words, he was not really convinced of it himself. Britannia placed more value in blood than skills.

His mother couldn't have afforded the Officers Academy. Even if she could've, she would have been discriminated against there every day. She'd excelled through basic training, but would never have attained greatness. At least, not without Ruben Ashford.

The unlikely pair had met and hit it off, thanks to his mother's vivacious personality and humor. They became good friends, and Ruben loaned her the money to attend the officer's academy, good naturedly claiming it was a worthwhile investment.

"It was a shrewd move on Ruben's part to invest in talent when he saw it." complimented Schneizel, after not giving a single twitch when Lelouch gave up his black knight to strike Schneizel's rook.

Indeed, his seemingly whimsical decision paid many dividends when she attracted the attention of Prince Charles. Lord Ashford even gave her stock in the Ashford foundation, to align their interests. Undoubtedly, Ruben Ashford had hoped that prince Charles would look favourably on the company that his romantic interest had a large part in.

The gambit succeeded, and the Ashford family and Marianne threw their lot in with Prince Charles in his bid for the throne, dyeing the streets of Saint Darwin red in the process.

They won and secured their continued hold on the throne by buying all the media companies to spin it to their advantage. The Ashford family earned billions on the military contracts to design and build the Glasgow. Marianne became an empress and Charles the emperor, opposition got a visit from Marianne and the swing votes got bribes and hush money.

They had bribed the key nobles beforehand off course but additional obstacles always emerged. It was Murphy's Law; anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Those key nobles were those who married their daughters to prince Charles before he became emperor and that was why he was so far back in line for the throne. His mother had provided the biggest contribution to making his father emperor but the others had to be bribed first.

His mother could have taken them out, but that would descend the entire country into civil war and the word of the emperor would be worth nothing. So they were stuck, a contract was made and had to be honoured.

In some ways, the emperor's position was just as precarious as Lelouch's. He had to maintain an air of superiority and invincibility at all times. The public may spout love for the imperial family but weren't really loyal; some even outright hated them. But, they were brainwashed to believe that nobles were superior, and therefore had the right to rule, without really caring who those nobles were. Without the showmanship to convince the public he was indeed superior, his hold on the throne was tenuous at best.

It was a den of snakes, and his father was just the biggest snake around. It wouldn't be long before like in lion prides, a new male lion would challenge his authority and kill him to take over. It made Lelouch wonder why so many nobles were so eager to be associated with the imperial family, when they knew about its bloody history.

"A move worthy of yourself no doubt." Lelouch finally answered after a few moments of contemplation.

"You flatter me Lelouch." Schneizel took his compliment gracefully.

He didn't have enough support to make his own bid and they both knew it. That left only a good right hand man status in one of the factions vying for power. The other factions looked down on him too much to recognize his worth, but Schneizel was different and already sinking his claws into him at this early age to cement his loyalty.

It was indeed shrewd and a good plan, but Lelouch didn't want to make commitments too early. Early entrance meant a high position in the hierarchy, but also tied you down. Schneizel was good, but Lelouch wasn't sure what his end game was, so he decided to play hard to get a while longer.

It didn't really matter; he wasn't pressed for an answer. They both knew he was too young to make any real impact just yet, but they were dancing around each other nonetheless. So, he was playing hard to get, to make Schneizel value him more, instead of sucking up and being turned into a expendable servant.

Schneizel made his next move, which gave Lelouch pause. He could see he had already lost.

"Well this has been fun, but it seems you got me Schneizel." The remark was good natured, casually hiding how much it vexed him to lose yet again.

"Don't sell yourself short Lelouch, you might still win. You won't know unless you try."

"Very well."

Despite Schneizel's encouragement it was a lost game, but fighting back when at a disadvantage was a valuable skill, and one Lelouch was getting good at. It was both good practice, and a metaphor for his life. Always the underdog trying to survive not win, while protecting the king, his sister Nunnally.

As expected he lost, but in the end, he managed to force Schneizel to give up a few more pieces than initially expected. It could be considered a win, if a bit hollow.

"Same time next week." he proposed amicably.

"Looking forward to it Lelouch." Schneizel said, as he got up from his seat.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries and parted ways, one to head for the parliament, and the other to go play a game of hide and seek with his little sister. The difference in itinerary made it painfully obvious to Lelouch that they weren't on the same playing level, although he had some plans to get there.

* * *

**Pendragon, Hospital**

The day after the assassination of the empress Marianne VI Britannia

Lelouch had trouble believing his eyes but no matter how many times he blinked or pinched himself. He still saw the same damn thing, a frail looking Nunnaly about to undergo another medical scan of one variety or another. MRI or CT scan, he had no clue what it all meant but they all told the same story, his sister would never walk again.

This handicap was troublesome but certainly manageable with modern technology, some roads had closed to her and others had become more difficult but she still had plenty of options to choose from if it was just that. No the gods hadn't decided to be that merciful, no they had opted to take her sight as well.

There was no medical explanation for it other than perhaps some severe mental trauma that suppressed her ability to even see. It made no sense to him and he doubted he even wanted to fully understand it, at least for the moment. He would probably research it exhaustively within two weeks, but now he couldn't focus on it.

So many things had gone wrong and he found himself losing track of how many problems he had to fix. Nunnaly was essentially a worthless pawn on the board now.

"It will be alright your highness" reassured one of the royal guards, a man by the name of Jeremiah Gottwald. He wouldn't have even acknowledged his presence if he hadn't been included in the many games Lelouch played with Nunnaly. He actually could offer some heartfelt consolations rather than meaningless platitudes meant to butter him up for future ploys.

"How Jerry, how can it ever be alright?" he asked a bit more harshly than he had intended but he could barely contain his fury at the situation.

"My lord?" he questioned unsure of how to respond to that

"My sister was naïve and gullible, which made her easy prey in court intrigue, making her an unfavourable bride to begin with for most power hungry nobles. That combined with her physical and now apparently also mental handicaps and they wouldn't want to touch her with a ten foot pole." snapped Lelouch knowing full well the implications of social Darwinism.

"I understand the need to marry well, but such scum is unworthy of the lady Nunnaly!" Jeremiah said with conviction.

"Agreed, normally I would say good riddance to the lot of them. They weren't worthy to lick her boots, let alone marry her. But now with the tragic demise of our mother, we are vulnerable Jeremiah. "Admitted Lelouch though the very notion of selling off his sister to the highest bidder to earn him a better position turned his stomach.

Seeing Jeremiah's uncomprehending face Lelouch continued through gritted teeth "With the death of our mother we are unprotected and only worth as much as the other nobles deem us, and right now the prevailing consensus is worthless." As much as it sickened him, there would be no escaping trading a marriage offer to gain other nobles' protection. The emperor was a callous bastard on the best of days so he wouldn't expect anything from him.

"Perhaps prince Schneizel or Princess Cornelia can help then, they have always been good friends of the family." proposed Jeremiah while keeping strategic silence on the rest of the family. It might be construed as treason if he aired his real opinion on them.

"Possible but not enough. There is some plot afoot with backing from someone high up the ranks. Schneizel won't involve himself in this mess without a clear incentive, which he doesn't have. That man is a master of coming out of any situation smelling like roses and the basics of that skill is not stepping into a situation he isn't sure he can win. "Lelouch silently cursed himself for playing 'hard to get' now. He could really use some mutually exchanged promises of support right about now. It might not have been enough to convince Schneizel to help him but it would be a good starting point.

"How about princess Cornelia then? She might still be held up in the investigation but she will be cleared soon enough, and can take you under her wing." offered Jeremiah without agreeing or disagreeing on the calculating and ruthless nature of the second prince according to Lelouch.

"A better alternative or at least a cheaper one." Lelouch mused "However she is too brutish to understand the problem enough to deal with it. She is learning but she managed mostly by staying out of court affairs by claiming she needed to focus on her military career." Which was a good excuse because no noble could doubt her statements after she said 'All Hail Britannia'. It wasn't just a national slogan but also a dismissal that couldn't be ignored.

The fact that she was a pure-blooded noble didn't hurt either but it also meant that she would have a hard time seeing all the possible threats. Nobles who were kind-hearted and forgiving towards her could be the fiercest opponents for Lelouch.

The fun thing about court intrigue was that the rules of engagement and who the enemy was differed from person to person. It was the main reason why it was so incomprehensible to an outsider and only by long observation could one truly understand it. Cornelia's voluntary exile from court did her no favours there.

"I see." Jeremiah grudgingly accepted "Well it doesn't matter until she is released from her holding cell but you might want to reconsider, she is a better player than you give her credit for." said Jeremiah who still had faith in his captain.

"Perhaps." allowed Lelouch realizing belatedly that his less than high opinion of his sister's political skills would now undoubtedly get back to her. He may now have to sooth his sister's ego before expecting any help from that corner. His big mouth had just created another problem for him to deal with.

He didn't question the fact that she could help, but only the amount and whether it would be enough. She herself was in the middle of her own political battle after the questionable death of his mother. Her sudden withdrawal was suspicious because it was well known that Marianne didn't trust any noble other than the emperor. Cornelia's enemies were coming out of the woodwork, now that they smelled blood in the water. The attacks coming from princes Carine's mother were especially fierce and unfair, taking special care to twist everything into their favour.

Luckily, the Li Britannia line had plenty of firepower to survive the onslaught relatively unharmed but it would temporarily cripple their political power, leaving Cornelia without much ammo to fight on his behalf. Somehow, he suspected that to be the reason for his half sister's attack, they couldn't strike at him directly so soon after the tragic demise of his mother but they could erode his support before they landed the final blow. They always held a strong hatred for him based on his commoner origins and believed him to be a stain on the honour of the imperial family that should be wiped out.

Sadly, he knew they would soon have enough momentum to get their wish now that their mother couldn't strong arm the emperor into protecting them anymore. He held no childish illusions despite what his mother may have said about his father, that man didn't love any of his children.

The emperor saw every single one of his children as a card to be played depending on its value. Some were good at politics like Schneizel or the military like Cornelia but most weren't especially valuable, so he didn't play them and left them alone. He would have been fine with rotting in obscurity but he had now become a liability, a source of discord within the court with no redeeming features despite the promise he had shown as an intellectual. The emperor wouldn't chance destabilizing his empire to indulge on a whim that Lelouch might someday prove a valuable investment. Most would crack under that kind of pressure making the investment worthless to begin with, Lelouch had confidence he could succeed but he doubted he would get the chance.

The only way he was going to avoid a suicide assignment in the near future was to take the bulls-eye off his back, or in other words his claim to the throne. So long as he had that, he held power over Brittanian nobles and remained a threat. However, with none willing to join his cause it was a hollow power at best and more of a burden, so it was best to discard it.

He had to hurry, but still give a valid reason for doing it or risk sounding like a spoilt brat on a temper tantrum.

He then noticed that Jeremiah was still squirming next to him apparently he was working up the courage to say something, judging from his mouth opening and closing repeatedly without saying anything .

"Spit it out Jeremiah!" he ordered

"My, my lord I regret to inform you that the royal investigation has been called off by the emperor." He said fearfully though Lelouch could see the anguish in his eyes too as he gave the message. Judging from the phone in his hands, he had just heard the news himself. The man looked on the verge of a breakdown and was only keeping it together for his sake. He held little doubt the man would collapse as soon as he left his presence.

Anger was boiling up inside him at this betrayal by the emperor; apparently, he was already caving to the pressures of the royal court. Or maybe he had just rolled over right away to prevent any more discontent among the nobles, by disclaiming any love he had held for his so-called favourite consort.

It was a shrewd political move to cut any and all losses right away, but sadly those losses meant not finding his mother's killer and he and Nunnaly were next on the list.

He took another glance at Nunnaly and smiled wickedly, the answer to his problem was staring right at him.

"Jeremiah request an audience with the emperor as soon as possible." He ordered firmly with only a hint of righteous fury seeping into his tone. It wouldn't do to lose his composure now, better to save it for his performance later on.

Jeremiah was quick to follow his order and left the room

Lelouch followed him but with a different destination in mind than the imperial palace. He stared up at the sky as he contemplated his new course; it would seem their time as royalty had ran out. The only thing he could do now was to play his stall tactic, while putting the pieces in place for his next move.

As he walked he pondered if he could perhaps include Jeremiah, the man seemed loyal enough. He seemed to be blaming himself and craved if not absolution or forgiveness at least a way to atone. He could twist that into loyalty to himself and Nunnaly, if he played his cards right.

* * *

**Pendragon Aries Villa**

Lelouch was on the phone micromanaging the last details of his plan. Due to his young age, nobody wanted to take him seriously, forcing him to use a law firm as intermediaries. For some reason everyone respected a lawyer in a suit more than a prepubescent prince.

His plan was mostly focused on monetary damage because he couldn't hope to convince anyone to partake in lethal solutions. They would write him off as a little kid not knowing what he was talking about. So he would have to settle for the lesser revenge for now.

"My apologies your highness, but it's time you have been summoned to the royal court." Jeremiah informed him

Lelouch sighed at the roll call for his scheduled performance. Though he knew why he had to do it, he still dreaded the moment he had to utter the words. For years, it had been drilled into him that disinheriting himself was as bad as killing himself. In a way it was true, he would be effectively dead on the board but faking his political death was the only way to survive.

He did a mental check of his actions so far to make sure he hadn't done anything that could be traced back to him, not yet at least. Even Schneizel shouldn't have anticipated his moves before the first strike became public. So there shouldn't be anything to be thrown in his face in front of the emperor, he hoped.

* * *

**Pendragon Imperial Palace**

Lelouch showed up in impeccable attire worthy of a prince despite him feeling trapped within it, for more than one reason. He listened to the barely restrained whispers about his mother's fate and how glad they were that they no longer had to put up with that filthy commoner. His blood boiled listening to these vultures. However, he restrained himself and put up a cool façade of emotionless indifference. He bowed to the emperor and waited at his pleasure.

When prompted with the question why he had requested an audience he loudly demanded justice for his mother by having the emperor investigate the murder. It came off as slightly foolish and naïve but it was excusable with his age. Though it was only the precursor to his next move, the raw emotion bleeding into his voice was real.

He toyed with the idea of airing out why the emperor couldn't investigate the murder to shame him but refrained. There was no need to go that far, if he did, it would lead to more than him just being disinherited.

After thinking it over, he knew that his mother's assassination was not being investigated by the emperor, because it put him in an awkward position. The emperor couldn't punish the other royal families without proof, and to expose them would damage his reputation by extension. Nor could he quietly kill them all, because that would lower the invincibility of the emperor. He couldn't appear powerless to stop some assassins from killing his entire family.

It all came down to prestige, his mother did not have enough of it and his father had to retain it. It was a corrupt system, his mother was worth far more than these measly nobles were but they had to look good to the public and other nobles. His mother had already served her purpose in gaining the throne but those who killed her kept his father on it. Because of this simple reality, his mother was comparatively worthless. Talk of how she was his favourite wife did nothing in the end to save her.

The emperor denied him as expected but much more harshly than he had expected. He was shocked and struck speechless with the callous disregard the man had for him.

Lelouch had no trouble summoning the necessary outrage to sell his performance as he tried to barter his royal inheritance against the investigation. It must have sounded like a desperate gambit from a foolish child but he didn't care. In fact, he was hoping it sounded like that because it would only make people overlook him more.

Though the proudly defying the emperor bit would help him later, if he was to ever plan his return. He had no intention of doing so, but it wasn't wise to burn all his bridges and besides his ego demanded he died politically in a manner he could be proud off.

Naturally, the emperor was unfazed and just reiterated how worthless he really was to him. He even went so far as to throw him away as a political hostage. Lelouch knew enough of the Sakuradite issue to know it was a war waiting to happen. Japan wasn't compromising enough to Britannia's liking in their trade deals. And even If they caved, Britannia would still prefer the precious resource to be under their complete control to prevent shortages and arm-twisting at a later stage. If you took morality out of the issue which was a given for Britannia. Then you could logically conclude that it was imperative for Britannia to control a monopoly of Sakuradite as soon as possible.

With the introduction of Sakuradite, new technological innovations became possible that were written off as just pure science fiction before. If Britannia dragged its feet to control it, they would be left behind in the inevitable arms race. And with the majority of the world already resentful of Britannia, it was only a matter of time before they declared war as a united front to liberate the areas.

So in a nutshell, the very survival of the empire depended on them gaining and staying in control of the main source of Sakuradite. They had the most powerful military in the world but it didn't mean they could beat all the others combined. They couldn't risk giving a pretext that the democratic countries could use to rally their civilians against Britannia.

So they needed a provocation or justification to stay the hand of the EU, the only powerhouse they couldn't win a protracted war against. This was where he and Nunnaly came in.

They would probably get a few months to live before dying tragically as martyrs to embolden the Britannian soldiers and keep foreign interference to pointless diplomatic chatter. It struck him as funny that the emperor proclaimed him to be dead to him since the moment he was born in the same breath as he sentenced him to death.

This changed things rather drastically, no longer was a mere ploy for survival good enough because the emperor just sentenced him to death. He needed everything he had to ensure his survival but he had just thrown away his most potent tool in doing so, his right to the throne!

It was ironic that he threw away everything to save his life only to lose it anyway and needed to regain it if he stood any chance of survival.

He supposed he should have seen it coming. He had tried to become a worthless card so the emperor would play him like he did his siblings, to avoid attracting their petty jealousies but now he was worthless and apparently still a liability to the emperor so he got discarded from the deck.

He had counted on the man showing some mercy if his hand wasn't forced by the other nobles. But now he realized he was a fool to think so. He stared up into those deep purple eyes seething at how easily he was played and discarded. The emperor stared back unflinchingly as if daring him to defy him further.

But Lelouch had no move left to play. He was alone on the board and already at check, nearly checkmate. He needed to survive and gather new pieces on his board but he knew he could not hope to do so here. Everyone who had power and influence was against him here. The best he could do was joining the military, win some impressive victories, and with that gain the favour of the commoners and some nobles. But he would be deprived of most resources to do so. He was confident enough that he could do it but to what end?

He would rise in court standing but would always remain unsure when the house of cards would collapse. He would go through life at gunpoint with a knife in his back that the other nobles liked to twist at their leisure. It was life and it would protect Nunnaly but it was too uncertain. His second option was to fake his death and live a life as a commoner. It was doable and more satisfying knowing he wouldn't have to put up with the whims of nobles. But what would happen when the nobles found them?

He knew that the prevailing ideology among the nobles was that they were superior to everyone and that included foreigners. And that their very refusal to follow their commands was a slight that they only tolerated for the moment. World conquest was the end game all the nobles had in mind, for different reasons but it amounted to the same thing. Some wanted more land granted to them in the new area's others wanted to exploit the new markets and a few deluded themselves into thinking they were bringing culture and civilization to those backwater countries.

The world would fall under imperial rule or the empire would fall it was one or the other there were no two ways about it and no way to change it from within. Not even assassinating the emperor would make much of a difference, now that his policies of hate were widely accepted.

Neither could he just accept it and go with the flow. He couldn't bring himself to suppress and enslave a free people. He himself was living a wretched live in a gilded cage but a cage nonetheless. He wasn't deluded enough to think he had it bad compared to the numbers but he could still sympathize.

No, he wouldn't serve his father so he needed a new master before he could strike out on his own, if he ever could that is. So who to pick?

The EU was the most powerful and in the most conflicts with the empire allowing him, enough chances to climb based on his merit in combat. They had a democratic system so if he could sway the masses he could gain power rather than be denied because he wasn't pure nobility. The problem was passing himself off as just another refugee who flooded into Europe with little more than a name. He was frankly too manicured to be believed at first glance right now but he could roughen himself up a bit to sell the story.

The real problem was climbing up from the refugee status, because Europeans for all their vaunted slogans of equality, freedom and brotherhood were still suspicious of newcomers. He would no doubt be investigated for being a spy if he showed any remarkable skill. With him being unable to successfully fake a history, they might find out he was actually a prince. That would make him a political hostage before he could prove his worth and gain allies.

The Chinese federation was no better; they just had worse refugee facilities and even worse opportunities for advancement. From what he could gather, the high eunuchs had long ago forgotten they governed for the people. The economic situation was deteriorating and most people were silently dissatisfied with the government though hopeful the empress would remedy the situation once she came off age. He had to suppress a scoff at that, her parents were their only hope and his father had successfully assassinated them, to remove that thorn from his side when he began expanding.

The empress was a figurehead no one was afraid off or respected who actually had enough power to do something in China, not entirely surprising considering she was still a baby. The empire was mostly content to let that corpse rot while they conquered the rest of the world. They figured that by the time they deigned to show up, the populace would embrace any chance for a better live even if it was under foreign rule.

Lelouch had to admit that it was a decent plan, though he would probably include some media spectacle to sway public opinion more in his favour than just grudging approval. But he supposed that Schneizel would think up something when the time came for that step, probably in ten to fifteen years from now.

So his only real option was the EU but that was a huge risk and one he couldn't take with Nunnaly in her frail condition. He sighed sometimes the better part of valour was choosing to pick your battles so he would wait until the time was ripe in the shadows.

He was startled out of his musing about his future when he heard the booming voice of his father dismissing him again. Apparently, he had missed the first one in his contemplation. He rose as gracefully as possible and strode out of the room with his head held high. It was an act to cover up the fact he had just left with his tail between his legs. He stubbornly ignored the quiet snickers of the nobles at his expense. He risked one backwards glance over his shoulders to gauge the reaction in the room. He needed to memorize the political landscape in case there were any opportunities to exploit to regain some standing.

His gaze raked over the pretentious fools and only found barely contained sadistic glee at his misfortune with the notable exception of the emperor. The bastard had the nerve to look indifferent, so he wouldn't give away any weaknesses to his loyal subjects.

As he suspected the only allies, he could expect to find here were Ruben Ashford and his sister Cornelia. Schneizel had been present but notably silent when the judgement to use him as a political hostage was presented. That either meant he wasn't going to help him or only do so later on in smaller ways or until he proved himself worthy of the aid.

There was no way he could rely on any of them. Cornelia wasn't well versed in court politics, Ruben was practically ruined and he wasn't willing to dance to the whims of his older brother. Well that was a lie, he was willing. He just couldn't prove himself worthy in any conceivable way while in Japan.

With a sigh, he walked out of the throne room pondering his future and how he needed to adjust his contingency plans.

Author note

The cover image is created by Deto15 on minitokyo and the original art is from Takahiro Kimura.

i also want to thank my new beta Lord Darkly for making this story more readable.


	2. Chapter 2 Stay in Japan

**A/N My apologies to those who followed, but I needed to split the chapter up because it was too long. So no new content for now. **

**Japan**

**Tokyo Airport**

Lelouch had a fierce scowl on his face as he walked out of the plane towards the Kururugi family. He had investigated them as much as he could and his judgement was that they were a stern family but beneath the cold shell, they still cared about other people. So long as he followed their traditions and principles, he could be sure of at least mediocre hospitality. Their honour didn't allow them to mistreat them severely but he doubted they were above petty slights. He hoped that by being humble he could have a pleasant stay here for his sister's sake.

However, that didn't mean he had to be happy about this. These people were the very embodiment of the punishment his father gave him for being weak. He waited next to the exit while the maid pushed his sister's wheelchair alongside him.

As soon as he was within her sight, he automatically replaced his scowl with a kind and gentle face. He knew she couldn't see it anymore but he couldn't suppress years of habit, that easily and in any case it was rather fortunate because it allowed him to fake being pleasant to these people more convincingly.

"How are you feeling big brother?" asked his sister in concern knowingly

She had been a witness to his silent tirade about their fate as hostages. He hadn't done much more than pacing around and glaring at the staff but that was more than enough to tell his sister just how much he hated this.

"I'll manage." He admitted "But the important part is to make a good impression so we need to be on our best behaviour." Lelouch needlessly advised they both already knew that. Besides Nunnally's natural personality would endear more people to her than Lelouch's most ingenious scheme.

"Well in that case you might want to wipe that frown off your face before they get close enough to actually see it." Nunnaly lightly suggested

Lelouch grinned at that" Very well sir." He quipped

"At ease private, no need to intimidate the locals."

The little childhood game did wonders in soothing his temper and by the time he reached, the Kururugi's he was the very picture of charm and humility. He didn't like to pretend to be humble but these people were fed up with all the pompous idiots they normally had to deal with. So it was best to set himself as far apart from them as possible. In his opinion, he was worlds apart, but if he showed any arrogance, they would probably throw him in the same mould and never look back.

He bowed deeply to the prime minister in greeting "Thank you for your gracious welcome Prime Minister Kururugi."

Through his bangs he could see the prime minister slightly frowning at him, either he was displeased with something he did or because he couldn't figure out how to deal with a polite Britannian. Lelouch had to admit the experience would be novel to anybody because they simply didn't exist, unless forced to, and that wasn't true politeness.

And he was no different; the only reason why he was being polite was to ensure his survival. For the duration of his stay here, his freedom was determined by his hosts. He needed his freedom to prepare for his survival. So he needed their generosity and goodwill.

Prime Minister Kururugi grudgingly matched the depth of his bow. Lelouch belatedly realized his mistake. He had bowed deeply to be polite but for the prime minister to give a shallow bow in return would be a slight and to slight Britannia in the current volatile situation was foolish. The prime minister had intended to match him but he hadn't wanted to give such a deep bow. Firstly because he didn't have the respect it represented for Britannia and secondly because of his bad back.

Judging by the grimace on the stern man's face, he had to be in excruciating pain to prevent a diplomatic scandal. But worse was the narrowing of the eyes that indicated he perceived his show of respect as a subtle attack.

He gratefully accepted the escape to be introduced to his minister of foreign relations and numerous others though only the captain of industry Kirihara Taizou made a lasting impression. This was mostly because Kirihara had a monopoly in the fledgling sakuradite mining industry.

He had to try to befriend Kirihara if he wanted to try to wring some more concessions out of the Japanese to stall for more time or alternatively if he wanted to obtain more bargaining chips in the future.

He wasn't sure how long he could stay in Japan but he didn't think this stopgap measure would stop his father for long before he invaded Japan. The Japanese government hadn't been very compromising when his father demanded more Sakuradite be shipped to the empire. Sure, he was willing to pay more but their religious objections about not wanting to violate the holy Mount Fuji put them at odds with each other. Neither of them looked likely to back down and the inevitable showdown was only a matter of time.

Britannia needed that Sakuradite to fuel their war machine to conquer the world. Without it, they couldn't field nearly as many of their knightmare frames. They wouldn't want to wait long either with the technological advantage only temporarily theirs. If they waited too long the other countries could catch up or develop countermeasures. No he only had a few months to stay here at best before he was given his roll call for his performance to the world.

But he had no intention of getting killed in the confusion during the invasion. He was quite sure that his Japanese hosts would kill him then in a fit of anger or his father would do it for them. His best bet was finding a third party who he could trade favours with to keep him and his sister safe.

He exchanged some more pleasantries with the minister and was soon escorted into a limo with a girl slightly younger than him named Sumeragi Kaguya.

"So prince Lelouch how are you finding Japan so far?" asked Kaguya politely

That was a bit more articulate than he would have expected from a eight year old but he supposed that she had to grow up fast with her father's failing health. According to his research, he would only have a few more years to live and would undoubtedly die before Kaguya reached her eighteenth birthday. A mountain of responsibilities would be trusted upon her so he supposed she had to learn fast while clinging to as much of her childhood innocence as possible.

"Pretty good but I haven't experienced the legendary summer heat yet" he replied

He based that comment on the sport mangas he read that were about baseball and the Koushien tournament in the summer. He had no clue how hot it really got other than some numbers from a weather report that didn't mean much to him.

Kaguya smiled "Oh I didn't think you played baseball." guessing correctly where he got the titbit from

"I see the rumours of my physical ineptness precede Me." joked Lelouch trying to put the girl at ease with him

"Don't be too hard on yourself, I hear you more than make up for it in chess."

"Well I'm not too shabby if I say so myself. " Lelouch admitted humbly "Do you play Kaguya?"

"Only a little but maybe you can teach me?"

It was probably an insincere offer to break the ice that counted on his well-known obsession with the game. But he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"I would be delighted and maybe you can teach me shogi. I hear it's even more challenging than chess."

He had no real interest in learning to play shogi either but it would show a flexibility of personality and culture to the Japanese. If he showed he wasn't convinced that everything Britannian was automatically better than foreign things, he might actually make some friends.

Across from him sat Kururugi Suzaku who scoffed at his reply. "I doubt you actually care about shogi."

Immediately Lelouch wondered if he was really being that obvious that a brat could figure him out. "You didn't address me by my title" observed Lelouch in interest wondering if there was a hidden meaning behind it

"I'm sorry your highness" Suzaku retorted sarcastically

So that was it then, some petty teenage antagonism and prejudice against the royal family. Well that was perfectly understandable and not too hard to deal with. "Don't be, I was merely making an observation. You can tell a lot about a man in how he addresses those around him. "Lelouch appeased him easily because he tended to agree with him about the royal family.

"Oh and what does your actions say about you then? You were perfectly modest and gracious; does that mean you're a kind person or really a twofaced snake?"

Kaguya looked uncomfortable with Suzaku calling him out but was intrigued nonetheless so wouldn't put a stop to it. So Lelouch had to answer but he didn't have an answer to that question because it was one he was struggling with himself. He was certainly acting when he greeted them but he still thought he was a kind person despite him silently resenting them for being his prison before his execution.

"Can't I be both?" he asked to stall and to measure the sense of morality of the man sitting in front of him.

"Of course not! One excludes the other. Any kind of duplicity inevitably hurts someone and is thus by its very nature evil." Suzaku immediately countered.

Hmm an idealist then? He hadn't expected someone to be concerned with the philosophy of right and wrong at this age. But this certainly put him in a bind because any answer that didn't parrot what he just said would antagonize the boy. But he couldn't fake his personality enough for the rest of his stay and the proven deceit in trying to come across as an honest person would be worse than just owning up to it now.

So the question was how important was Kururugi Suzaku that he had to stay friendly with him, to the point of compromising on his own beliefs? At least for the short term, he doubted it would matter much before the year was out.

n the end he decided he had more important things to worry about than one boy's hurt feelings and views of right and wrong.

Lelouch shrugged " So by your very own admission your own father and by extension your government is evil then Suzaku?" he misdirected.

"What are you talking about?" asked a surprised Suzaku

"Oh you haven't heard your father has been leading Britannia on for quite some time. He grudgingly agrees with increasing the amount of Sakuradite shipped to Britannia. But then makes excuses a few weeks later that he can't make the quota because of civilian protests. While we receive reports that the Chinese federation received Sakuradite shipments in trade for metals." revealed Lelouch casually

He shouldn't have given away state secrets like that but he didn't care. He was already scheduled for execution anyway. It wasn't as if they were going to do anything worse to him, other than perhaps move the date up.

Suzaku looked angry about him accusing his father as a liar" You're just making that up and even if it was true. Britannia doesn't own Japan we have the freedom to trade with whomever we want."

Lelouch smiled as he fell into his trap" You certainly do, but you also have to honour the trade agreements already made. So by ignoring them isn't your father being duplicitous and therefore evil?" Lelouch goaded

Suzaku seemed to completely forget about whether or not Lelouch was a liar and focused solely on clearing his father's good name. Lelouch sat back and calmly refuted his arguments on logic or allowed them as the case may be. Right now Suzaku was an enraged bull he was leading by the horns.

Eventually he would calm down and then maybe get over it and they could try again at being friends. Though he still didn't see why he had to.

* * *

**Kururugi Shrine**

**Nine months later**

Lelouch watched as Suzaku talked pleasantly with Nunnaly after his kendo lesson. He hadn't thought it would happen at first but somehow the Japanese boy had grown on him. Perhaps the ability to speak his mind freely compared to his usual yes-men endeared him somehow. He never felt those were true friends despite what his siblings may think. He firmly believed a true friend would call you an idiot from time to time. Even Jeremiah subtly and hesitantly questioned his decision when he dismissed Cornelia and Schneizel's help. Though he hadn't taken his advice at the time, he did appreciate him not telling Cornelia about his rather low opinion of her political skills.

Cornelia always had a bit of a temper so there was no way she could have stayed quiet about it for this long. Which meant she simply didn't know about it, there was no other option.

Which just proved his theory; true friends criticized you in private but had your back when it counted.

Of course, to every rule there was an exception because Andreas Darlton was the typical yes man, but he was so fanatically loyal to Cornelia that he would gladly die for her. He even heard rumours that he wanted to put his adopted sons through military training after they showed potential to better serve Cornelia.

Suzaku still had some reservations with him personally but he absolutely loved Nunnaly and would protect her when push came to shove. He could count on him speaking up if his father decided to kill them when war with Britannia was inevitable. No wait scratch that, it was already inevitable make that imminent.

He looked back at his business paper to gloat some more. The news hadn't had a clue what was going on at first but they seemed to be catching on now. But by his estimation by the time they put all the pieces together, it shouldn't matter anymore.

"What's that you're reading prince Lelouch?" came a voice from behind

He looked over his shoulder and saw Kaguya standing there. She had been visiting frequently in the past few months. To create a bond with her fiancé Kururugi Suzaku and play with Nunnaly.

"Oh just checking the stock reports in Britannia. " Lelouch casually and truthfully replied seeing as there was no need to lie.

"Why, I hear they are dreadfully boring?" Kaguya innocently questioned

Though Lelouch didn't fully buy it, Kaguya would soon control her vast Sumeragi estate so a basic grasp of the trends in the current market was crucial for her. He had no doubt that her private teacher would read them to her and simplify them in terms she could understand. She wouldn't need to understand them but following them for a time would give her greater confidence when she suddenly had to make decisions about them. So therefore she should have first hand experience of how boring they were, meaning she was lying but why?

Thinking it over he decided she simply wanted to keep the conversation light and had no real ulterior motive.

Lelouch shrugged" There has been a minor economic dip in total output in Britannia so as a prince I need to stay up to date on what is happening. As a foreign dignitary I might be asked to comment on the situation even if I'm only a child."

Kaguya giggled at that "I doubt the media would want the opinion of a ten year old kid on the economy."

Lelouch smiled back at her "True it sounds rather ridiculous but Britannia is obsessed with their nobility. You might be too young to remember it but Schneizel wasn't much older than me when he started giving interviews to the press."

Kaguya frowned at that" You mean he was in the spotlight since he was a teenager?"

Hmm she seemed concerned what the spotlight could do to someone's psyche, which was an understandable concern. He had heard horror stories from the teen idols from the entertainment sector. In a sense, they weren't so different from one another, so the same thing that happened to them could happen to him and in a way already happened to his siblings

"Well normally the royal family tries to shield its children until they are at least of age but his prowess was so remarkable that word got out to the press and Schneizel's mother caved and tried to take advantage of it."

"So he is a victim of his own success huh?" summarized Kaguya

Hmm he hadn't quite seen it like that before but he supposed she was right. Maybe there had been more to his comment when he said that he was a prodigy but could never emulate his mother? Did he mean he was forced into the spotlight and have his every action scrutinized just like his mother?

His mother despite claims to the contrary was never a gold digger but genuinely loved his father for some odd reason. So they both were unwilling victims of their own success, one for his strategic brilliance and the other for her tactical greatness.

"Good point Kaguya. I never really thought about it like that. I guess there was a whole side to my older brother I never really saw." Lelouch admitted

Kaguya chuckled "You really need to spend more time with your family, if strangers can tell you more about them than yourself."

Lelouch smiled at her joke that further proved that she was finally comfortable enough with him to mock him.

"Hey you try hanging out with them for a day and see how you like it." He retorted good-naturedly

Kaguya grimaced "I'll pass thank you very much. I saw that news special about the tantrum your elder sister Guinevere threw at the fashion show in Milan"

"Yes, rather unsightly wasn't it."

Guinevere had actually thrown a fit about not getting the newest dress shown on the catwalk in her size within a week. She completely ignored the fact it was a one of a kind creation and that it had to be made from scratch, but simply demanded it and expected to receive it, from a hostile nation no less.

Relationships with the EU had deteriorated a bit because the news had a field day broadcasting that image to every corner of Europe. Schneizel had to go into diplomatic overdrive to sooth the European people. They had been planning to declare war within the month from what he gathered but with this public debacle that plan was put on the backburner for now to prevent the EU from joining in. He almost wanted to send his sister a thank you card if he didn't already hate her guts.

On the plus side, though with Schneizel's superb handling off it, his chance of becoming the next prime minister vastly increased. Which would put him into pole position for when the race for the next emperor began in earnest. Out of all the siblings he wanted to become emperor he wanted it to it to become Schneizel with Euphie as a close second.

Cornelia had the skill but her large focus on the military left large gaps on the civilian side meaning the empire would rot from the inside. She inspired loyalty and rooted out corruption with an iron fist whenever she saw it but she couldn't deal with basic ineptitude well. She would crack her whip at them but only antagonize her bureaucrats in the long-term. She just didn't seem to realize you couldn't treat bureaucrats the same as professional soldiers. If she became empress, Britannia's government would become entirely controlled by the military.

He had no doubt domestic issues would arise and force her hand to suppress them. And the military suppression would lead to revolts happening everywhere. Luckily, she realized it herself from the few conversations he had with her in the past and wasn't seriously considering taking the throne but wouldn't take herself out of the running. Which he thanked her for because that would leave the door open for far greater evils, like his other siblings.

But back to Euphie, she didn't have the skill or the brains (at least not yet) from what he could tell but her heart was in the right place. So with some trusted and skilled advisors she would make a fine empress. Most likely, a mediocre one but a fine seat warmer until someone more skilled came along to continue her work. The most important thing Euphie would accomplish would be breaking up the culture of hatred pervading Britannian society, leaving the way open for more moderate thinkers.

But only Schneizel could truly change things within his own rule but that was if he wanted to? Lelouch never understood his brother and now it seemed even strangers did a better job at it than he did.

Kaguya tapped him on the shoulder" You were about to explain what was so interesting about the Britannian stocks."

Though she said it in her normal carefree voice, he could see the hint of interest in her eyes. There really was more to Kaguya than met the eye. She played down people's expectations of her masterfully. He would have written her off as a silly little girl if he hadn't been cooped up with her in one house.

"Well the interesting part is that the knightmare industry has taken a rather large hit or rather the investors associated with It." said Lelouch

"Hmm I heard about that but it was played off as nothing more than some jumpy investors worrying about nothing." Kaguya recited from the news

"Well in essence that is correct, but it's the timing of it that's interesting." Lelouch pointed out

"What's so interesting about it?" asked Kaguya her gaze now firmly riveted on him.

It seemed she dropped her pretence of being a silly little girl at the prospect of digging up a juicy morsel of information that might help her country. She was good, but it was nice to know she wasn't infallible.

He indulged her" I'm sure you know of the rising tensions between Japan and Britannia." He prodded

She nodded her head though it really went without saying but for clarity's sake, he checked anyway.

"Right now both Japan and Britannia are in a secret arms build up." Kaguya's eyes widened minutely so either she didn't think he knew about Japan or she didn't think he would tell her about Britannia.

"This dip was caused by someone shorting the stocks of the Ashford foundation. But that could only be done with someone with inside information who knew they were going to fall. Information that was restricted to the royal family and the highest ranking nobles."

"I see so they are worried about a leak in their command structure more than anything else which would cause hesitation before they committed to any large actions." Kaguya realized and then the penny dropped, for what that meant for Japan. He had some fun looking at her awestruck face when she realized that it would postpone the attack on Japan for a few months at least.

Lelouch pressed" But that's not all, the Ashford foundation was the leading company in knightmare production so their sudden fall from grace has disrupted investor confidence in the market. It would have been fine if someone hadn't taken so much advantage of it, but because of that, other investors are a bit hesitant in investing in it. They are waiting for the other shoe to drop while the emperor is impatient for results, meaning he will invest more heavily personally, causing the national debt to skyrocket"

"True but it won't bankrupt Britannia by any stretch off the imagination." Kaguya said wistfully

"Indeed but it wasn't intended to, the increased debt can't be paid off with a war in progress so the interest will pile up."

Kaguya gave him a sharp look when he said 'intended' but didn't question it. He didn't expect her to either. She wouldn't press him now and risk him clamming up. She couldn't interrogate him when he was still a foreign dignitary so she would only gently ask him at worst. But the seed had been planted that he was the mastermind and anti-Britannia. If he ever needed help in Japan in a few years, he might look towards Kaguya when she took over the Sumeragi concern.

"Ne Lelouch isn't the Ashford foundation controlled by the Ashfords who are loyal to the VI Britannia line." She asked in a tone of voice that sounded as clueless as she could manage.

"They are." He replied simply, no need to come right out and say it. It was better for her to put the pieces together herself or slowly drag them out of him.

"Then shouldn't you have known that they would fall from grace?" She pressed

"Indeed I did, but what are you getting at Kaguya?" He acted innocently though both knew better by now.

"So do you have any idea who could be behind it?" she continued in a gossiping schoolgirl fashion though she didn't seem particularly interested in his answer anymore. Apparently, she thought he wasn't going to say more on the issue and she already had her answer

She was right off course" I have no idea." shrugged Lelouch "It could have been anyone, all those nobles look alike to me." He chuckled

"True they all dress the same in their flamboyant colours but you seem rather dour in your choice of wardrobe." She smoothly changed the subject now that he had said what he wanted and she didn't want to risk scaring him off.

Lelouch followed her gambit, grateful for her focus on the long game "Hey what can I say; black is a very functional colour. And besides I think it suits me" In more ways than one, after his father proclaimed him to be dead to him the moment he was born. He thought he should dress the part by wearing the funeral colour. It was a twisted joke that amused him while he waited for his second death.

Kaguya giggled at that "More than you think Lelouch; I overheard the maids calling you their little black prince"

"Hey I'm not little!" He argued back though he knew he was, but he had to keep up some pretence he was a normal kid.

"Well at least you make up for it in physical prowess." teased Kaguya as she pinched his biceps to underline her point.

"We can't all be fitness nuts like Suzaku." grumbled Lelouch good-naturedly

* * *

**Kururugi Shrine**

**August eight 2010 Ascension Throne Britannia**

**The day Japan was invaded**

Lelouch was lying on a hill a short ways away from the Kururugi shrine cursing yet again the day Tohdoh was born. He had asked his sadistic teacher if he could perhaps explain to him the basics of martial arts. What he got was gruelling training session after session only interspersed with pure torture, aka exercise. The bastard only gave out measly scraps of advice hidden in a huge mountain of words that made up the bushido philosophy, which he didn't give a crap about.

Heck, he didn't give a crap about any fighting philosophy that entertained the thought of a fair fight. He adhered to the philosophy that if you found yourself in a fair fight you didn't plan properly.

He supposed kendo could help, if the skill translated to knightmares but he doubted it. Mostly because he was swinging a stick around and a knightmare was controlled by a joystick. At most, it would help with situational awareness and improvising on the spot.

So yeah okay he saw the point but did he have to do squats until his legs gave out, granted it only took fifteen minutes but still. When he got his knightmare, he was going to focus on long-range support anyway. He was going to be much more comfortable in a gun range practicing his skill than this. Mostly because it involved a lot of standing around and careful concentration, now that sounded like something more up his alley.

His body ached all over but he supposed it was going to be worth it in the long run. He had entertained some ideas of getting a custom weapon like a kusarigama but when he heard how long it took to master it. He gave up before he even got started. Tohdoh had been immensely disappointed but he only wanted to learn because he thought it might translate to slash harkens.

He didn't care about mastering the weapon itself; he just wanted a trump card up his sleeve. Really was that too much to ask, well apparently it was because Tohdoh had been insulted at the very thought.

As a result, he had been sentenced to running five hundred laps around the shrine and he had to be done before Tohdoh got back from his meeting in Tokyo. Luckily, for him Tohdoh couldn't actually see him do it. But unluckily for him Suzaku was such a stickler for the rules that he was watching him like a hawk, so he didn't cheat.

Sometimes he wondered why they were friends again. He noticed a strange sound and glanced up at the sky. He didn't identify it until it was too late and the Kururugi shrine went up in flames.

His first thought was NUNNALY!

He stared despondently for a while at the wreck that used to be his home/prison. Before he calmed down with the realization that Nunnaly had been out in the gardens. Despite being blind, she still enjoyed nature and was fond of just sitting there and listening to the birds chirp.

With his heartbeat, calming down he looked around and spotted Suzaku in a similar state. He had been shocked speechless as well but was coming around the same as him. He started to think about the likely whereabouts of the other residents of the Kururugi shrine. And he came to the sobering conclusion that only Suzaku, Nunnaly and him were outside of the building when the bomb went off. This left them essentially alone in the middle of a war zone.

Lelouch held no delusions about his odds of surviving the invasion. Kids normally had little chance but with him being Britannian, the Japanese would be hostile towards him. So that ruled out any aid there but the same went for the Britannian soldiers who might just not care, caught up in their bloodlust. Though the possibility of being taken into their custody and transported to a safe zone was no more appealing. It would only be a matter of time before high command found out about them and have them killed all the same.

After all that bomb had been intending to kill them during the opening strike of the war. He had honestly expected to receive some kind of warning before there was an attempt on his life. He hadn't thought the Japanese so incompetent to be taken unaware enough, that a bomber could fly in undetected even if it wasn't in a highly populated area. This was the residence of the prime minister so the skies above had to be monitored. So that meant that they were being overwhelmed and simply couldn't scramble a response in time.

This meant the invasion was already going on in full force but they just forgot to inform them and the news hadn't reported it. Or maybe it did, he had no way of knowing in this godforsaken shrine in the middle of nowhere. The news was severely restricted here and he thought his hosts did it on purpose to keep him from any sensitive information.

He would normally have applauded their effort and try to calmly navigate around it but now he was cursing their prudence. He ran over towards where he had last seen Nunnaly and prayed she was alright, and off less concern but still important that her wheelchair was still intact.

He had sown his emergency plan into the lining of her chair after all, so it would be disastrous if it was still in the house. He had done it on purpose so he wouldn't have to waste time looking for it during an emergency when he had to find his most precious person. He also didn't have to worry about his hosts taking it away from him unintentionally, because no one deprives a blind crippled girl from her wheel chair.

As he ran, he looked towards the place that had been more of a home to him than the imperial palace had ever been, crumbling to the ground. His room was already a ruin, if his hard drives had been hidden underneath the floorboards. They would now be broken and useless in his plan.

The timetable for everything had been moved up, that bomb was deliberate. Britannian planes may not have much accuracy but this shrine was out off the way in the countryside. Normally air raids focused more on destroying key infrastructure, meaning the bigger cities rather than some symbolic shrine.

They didn't try to kill the prime minister either, because he should be at the Tokyo city hall in Shinjuku now and Britannia knew it, no that bomb was meant for him and his sister.

He had to move, there was no telling if the airplanes would come back and do a carpet-bombing to make sure they got him. He doubted the pilots were given specific orders to kill members of the royal family or they would be killed afterwards when they tied up loose ends.

Anyone with a brain would go to the foreign press right away to blackmail the royal family in order to save their own life. But against the crown it was useless, the emperor was right because might was right. He didn't know whether to hope the pilot was ignorant, so his life was saved. Or aware so at least he had the satisfaction to know his would-be killer would soon be dead.

"Lelouch is that you? Called out Nunnaly as she heard his laboured approach. His ragged breath was a dead giveaway that it was him but with the explosion, she must be panicking.

"Yes it's me Nunnally. Don't worry I'm here now and will make sure nothing happens to you." He tried to reassure her despite the hollowness of his words. This was the one part of his plan he couldn't plan out because he didn't have anyone reliable around or enough information. The only one he might count on was Suzaku but he was still staring in shock at his ancestral home. The realization that Britannians were invading must be hitting him. He had built a solid friendship with Suzaku over the last couple of months thanks to Nunnaly, but could it survive this betrayal from his country?

He couldn't dwell on it long though. He needed to get moving in case ground troops came to investigate the bombsite to verify the kills. But he couldn't just leave, he wanted to loot the shrine first, he needed resources. He needed food, money, weapons and survival gear.

He quickly reassured his sister and ran into the ruin and grabbed the wooden panel of the paper doors. He broke it off its hinges and dragged it to the kitchen and pantry. He loaded as much food as possible in bags and tied them to the wooden frame.

He then searched the debris and grabbed the ceremonial weapons. Lelouch got lucky; he found a gun in the wrecked prime ministers desk. Lelouch regretted not finding out what the combination for the safe was while he stuffed everything valuable into his pockets and backpack.

He then ran back to fetch his sister. He gave her a quick explanation as he pushed her into the shrine towards the kitchen. He was going to tie the improvised sled with all the food to the wheelchair to make it easier to carry.

"Lelouch what are you doing?" questioned Suzaku now that he had finally come to terms with things. But the tone of his voice wasn't hostile, yet. But he was confused which he could work with.

"Those were Britannian airplanes and with the prime minister at work, this means they tried to kill me and Nunnaly specifically. We are in the middle of nowhere; there are no other targets here. "Lelouch stated bluntly, he had no time to break things gently. And besides he needed Suzaku to form a specific us versus them mentality where he was included in the us.

Suzaku seemed to process the level of betrayal he had just suffered from his own family and thanks to that firmly cemented him in the friend or at least allies category. Though he didn't seem quite convinced, his family would want him dead.

"They could have been trying to kill me." Suzaku offered feebly in disbelief

It was funny that such morbid thoughts were actually supposed to cheer him up "No offence but you're just a kid. You might become a rallying point for a future rebellion but right now, you are no threat. They can just kill you later at their leisure."

Suzaku nodded numbly in acceptance at his own worth and accepted the fact that the royal family had tried to kill Lelouch.

"Suzaku we have to go before any soldiers come checking for survivors."

Luckily, this prompted the training Tohdoh rammed into him to emerge to the forefront. "Right, let's get going." he grabbed Lelouch's arm and started pulling him away from the house.

"We need supplies to last the war, you idiot! So help me tie this stuff to this makeshift sled." Lelouch reprimanded gesturing towards the wooden contraption attached to Nunnaly's wheelchair. Apparently, Tohdoh never got around to basic tactics, only honour code and fighting moves.

Suzaku complied and with his help it went a lot faster but it still took a precious hour before they were packed and ready to go.

He gambled on Special Forces not being able to remain undetected before the air strike and regular forces would still have to land. Lelouch quickly pushed his sister into the nearby forest with Suzaku trailing behind. Lelouch had secured a good amount of food and weapons to defend him and his sister. But he was still only a novice. He could not hope to hold his own against trained soldiers or desperate civilians twice his size.

He gave the gun to Nunnaly despite her protests.

It may have seemed retarded to give a gun to a blind person. But he did not care about innocent bystanders getting shot, so long as his sister was safe. And she could not wield a sword effectively, which left him with the firearm solution.

Nunnaly had good hearing, so she would know where he was by the sound of his voice and anyone else was open season. She didn't like it but after some convincing, she accepted it to ease his anxiety for his sake.

They hid in the forest while he thought off a plan. He could not go into the cities as anti-Britannia sentiment would be higher than ever. Lelouch would get lynched by a mob in retaliation for the crimes of Britannia. Lelouch resented the very notion of dying a martyr for Britannia. He hated Britannia, he hated the emperor and his ideology and he would destroy it all if given the chance. To be used as a symbol to embolden their troops and to justify their horrors was more than he could stomach.

But he was back to check almost checkmate on the board. He was alone with no pieces on the board and surrounded on all sides. This was becoming way too repetitive; it seemed fate liked toying with him. He decided to weather out the storm for now. He could not escape Japan because all territorial waters would be monitored and most ships would be fired upon by either Britannian or Japanese warships, if they did not provide identification to either faction.

Lelouch sadly had neither nor could he fake it. So smuggling them out of the country was impossible at this stage. Even if he did manage it, without some plan he would end up lost in the sea of refugees. He doubted he would get access to a foreign country and end up in a holding camp almost indefinitely. Once there he would be hard pressed to negotiate from a position of strength.

He would be sucked dry of his resources and then thrown back to the wolves. No, he needed to find his allies first who could back him up, who would take him seriously and by extension make his opposing negotiators take him seriously. Lelouch needed to find the Ashfords; he knew they were sent here as well, in disgrace. They were his only lifeline other than the lawyers in Tokyo city. But he doubted he could reach them nor get them to believe he was Mr Lamperouge. Luckily, he did not need to; his plan would be set into motion whether he wanted to or not now. There was no way he could stop it, not that he wanted to.


	3. Chapter 3 Crisis in the Homeland

**Pendragon Imperial Palace**

**Cornelia's pov**

Cornelia stormed through the door "Schneizel you'd better have a damn good reason for recalling me or so help me god!"

Schneizel was unfazed and merely weathered her tirade until she lost some steam. "I wouldn't have pulled you away from your quest to find Nunnaly and Lelouch if it wasn't dire Cornelia. I presume you have heard of our recent economic woes."

Cornelia finished catching her breath and grudgingly acknowledged, "Yes I heard. Something about how the average indicator plummeted and everyone panicked and started selling like no tomorrow and it caused a chained effect. It's basically the same thing that happens when people start fleeing from the battlefield. Once enough people do it, then everyone starts doing it causing a massive rout and a loss when a victory could have still been possible if people just had the courage to keep on fighting."

Schneizel was silent for a moment as he evaluated her and her answer "That is a pretty good explanation of recent events Cornelia. However, allow me to elaborate, our economy is too large for a single man to make sense off. So we make averages, totals and other indicators to tell us how we are doing.

However, there is no clear-cut solution to economic problems that is undeniably the best instead; it is a matter of opinion. So my job is to provide a compelling narrative that the market and the public can get behind while still fulfilling the goals set by our father. Confidence in the market and the government may be nothing more than smoke and mirrors but without it, the economy would crash down around us. Everything only has value because we believe it does and in the last few weeks that confidence has taken a serious beating."

Cornelia gave him a look that said get to the fucking point!

Schneizel sighed at her impatience "The problem is that companies started selling their shares in large quantities all at once which reflected badly on the rest of the economy. So once the negative figures spread, panic did as well and people started selling before their loss became bigger. "

Schneizel chuckled at some joke she didn't get "The fun thing about owning stock is the unrealized gains and losses. You can be a millionaire on paper but only on paper, and that can change overnight. So people automatically sell once their stock prices drop below a certain level, which puts too much pressure on it and the price falls even further. But those stocks also influenced derivatives which dropped accordingly and no one knew exactly how far it spread so they amputated rather than risk it which caused complications."

"As I said a massive rout." reiterated Cornelia who didn't care about the specifics so long as she understood the broad lines. She never got her brother's fascination with economics; half of it was incomprehensible numbers and the rest inexplicable psychology. If you wanted to, you could argue two completely opposite policies as the best solution and still be logically sound.

She was only interested in the bottom line for when she had to consider whether her collateral losses were acceptable from an economic standpoint.

Schneizel did not seem insulted by her rude interruption and smiled more brightly at her "Well let's continue your analogy then, the army routed and the general gave a speech to rally his men. The emperor would have succeeded in calming down his men but as soon as he finished speaking, dissenters immediately undermined him. Or in our case information flooded in on all the weaknesses every Britannian company has, causing consumer and investor confidence to fall into the gutter"

Cornelia frowned, if it was a problem of morale then just silence the trouble makers and distract the troops or focus their attention on something productive." Then just bribe the media to twist things to your advantage to convince the people everything's fine if it is merely a problem of morale." Cornelia countered still not seeing why she had been called back when economics wasn't her strong suit.

Schneizel turned his back on her, walked towards his desk, and took a seat. "We already are, but economics doesn't quite work like that. Once everyone expects things to go downhill, it will go downhill and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is hard to convince people to have confidence, because they will lose all their money if your words are merely empty."

"Like telling your men to stand and fight when they are the only ones left and their comrades fled the battle already," agreed Cornelia

"Indeed a plea most likely to fall on deaf ears and even now mass bank runs are taking place. The people are trying to get their money out before the banks freeze their accounts or go bankrupt"

An alarm bell suddenly rang in Cornelia's head when she remembered one of the more puzzling things she ever learned about economics and banks in particular" Don't the banks keep less capital on hand than they actually loan out?"

"They do." admitted Schneizel and then took a sip of wine still looking the very essence of serenity "Meaning they can't survive if people withdraw their money."

"So what do you want me to do about it?" asked Cornelia to get to the reason why she was here. She could quash a riot if it came to that but economics wasn't her speciality.

"Someone has been using this crisis to buy precious metals at bargain prices. We wouldn't have cared if they weren't a key component along with sakuradite for building knightmare frames. In order to protect our production capability of knightmares in the future, we bought up the supply ourselves. But it's a costly measure, meaning we want you to figure out who is doing it." Schneizel calmly explained while he rifled through some paperwork to give some kind of report to her.

"You called me back from the front lines just to play detective!" Cornelia asked scathingly" Don't you have someone more qualified to do that! "

Schneizel nodded "We do and they will be running point, you just have to figurehead it to appease the nobles."

Cornelia had a premonition that she was going to have a lot of headaches in the near future" Why do I need to appease the nobles?" she asked perfunctorily

There didn't need to be a specific reason, as heir to the throne half her duty consisted of entertaining and reassuring the nobility in one way or another. She preferred just ordering them about and demanding results but her brusque manner had a cost that she knew Clovis and Schneizel paid for her.

So it was only fair that she paid them back occasionally or picked up her fair share of it when Schneizel was shorthanded. But she was interested in why he was shorthanded when he normally effortlessly balanced interests even if they were completely opposed to one another.

Schneizel smiled knowingly at her attitude, no doubt remembering one of her dealings with foolish nobles. "I'll get to that in a minute Cornelia, bear with me. The emperor also decided to nationalize key companies to stabilize the economy and to increase his power now that prices are low. But word spread of our intervention in the metal market and now every industry wants a government bail out instead of a buyout. The companies' stocks are controlled by the nobles, so they are the ones who are clamouring for government hand outs"

She really wished that commoners had the capital to buy stocks so she could deal with them rather than the smug nobles. Spoilt brats who just had their toys taken away from them guaranteed a headache for her. "So I need to scare them into submission or something?"

"It is a crude method but right now we need to impose order to prevent further panic. Because of this, every royal is being conscripted to pay lip service to the nobility. While we're doing that, I'll also be spearheading a financial reform that will allow commoners to buy stock as well. The influx of new capital might put the stock market back on track."

This surprised Cornelia because it violated one of the nobility's unofficial privileges. Though it wasn't law that only nobles could become stockholders, the reality was that no one else could cough up the hundred thousand pound minimum buy in. This meant that the majority of the stockholders were the nobility and only they were affected by the stock market downturn for now.

"That will also permanently remove power from the nobility brother. They won't like this and will resist that bill heavily." warned Cornelia

After all the nobility didn't hold power by just the virtue of their titles alone, but backed it up with money. Money they earned by investing in several ventures and collected interest on over the centuries.

Schneizel shrugged nonchalantly "I know but I need something to quiet them down. If I present them with a reasonable solution and they still don't like it, then I can convince them to take the loss with dignity."

Cornelia smiled at the simple brilliance of Schneizel's plan. He was going to publicly present the financial reform as a carrot while every noble would view it as a stick. They couldn't openly protest it or risk public disapproval so they had no choice but to downplay their problems and continue business as usual.

The nobles looked down on commoners but they weren't stupid enough to voice it in the media and damage their company's image. It would mean millions of losses easily, so someone had to step forward and take the hit for the team. But if Schneizel could keep them disorganized and divided then they might even collect some under the table bribes to have the financial reform bogged down and forgotten. The bribes would go a long way towards repaying some of the debts incurred nationalizing companies while simultaneously being thanked by all parties for the quick solution to the national crises.

"So you intend to manipulate them into compliance and you need us to help because you can't be everywhere at once and the success of your plan hinges on how many you can convince in a short amount of time."

Schneizel smiled at her "Indeed this is all about momentum."

True everyone had to be thinking the same thing at the same time to reinforce the message or this thing wouldn't even get off the ground. If enough nobles realized they were all against the reform and didn't just hear the mandatory lip service to ingratiate themselves with royalty than they might broker a deal that they would cover the losses of their spokesperson.

It was no different than forcing a general to surrender after a demoralizing defeat before he realized his troops still wanted to keep on fighting.

"But that doesn't explain why I had to bring my most trusted subordinates back with me? I could have left Darlton in charge to continue the search without me."

At this Schneizel's composure broke for a fraction of a second. Cornelia could have sworn she saw a slight frown on his face before it vanished as if it was never there. "The nobles aren't the only ones feeling agitated Cornelia; Websites started popping up saying that the money used to intervene in the metal mining and refining industry was public money and thus tax money. Which combined with the bank runs sparked a wave of anti-nobility mentality. It isn't as bad as it was back in Europe but I recognize the signs nonetheless. We need to nip this in the bud before it takes hold."

Cornelia couldn't help but agree. She knew well enough how most monarchies ended in Europe. "I don't have enough troops to suppress the homeland Schneizel and even If I did, it might just antagonize them and validate their cause."

"I know and you aren't going to. I called you back for a victory parade, and before you start complaining let me explain. I need a visual reminder of the glory and strength of the empire. Tales of how easily you defeated the Japanese will dampen the fires in the commoner's hearts by subtly reminding them how the empire became great in the first place and how a revolt would never succeed. "

Cornelia thought it over. "That could work but the most brazen will merely scoff at it and continue onwards."

"True but we have no choice but to let it fester for now and hope it doesn't grow too much because we don't have the resources to deal with it now."

Cornelia resented the very thought of letting any kind of insubordination fester because it spread like a disease once people started thinking it was okay to second-guess their commanding officer. Good men died because stupid ones refused to follow orders unless they were given a crystal clear explanation why they had to and what was in it for them on a case-by-case basis.

"Very well I'll carry out this plan of yours brother but as soon as the people calm down I'm going back to Japan to look for Nunnaly and Lelouch."

Schneizel nodded his head in agreement and gave her his blessing but the look on his face said he didn't believe they were still alive. He just didn't want to antagonize her right now by telling her they were dead.

She herself knew they probably were because there was little chance of them surviving in war-torn xenophobic Japan. She had found no sign of them at the Kururugi shrine's ruin. But the fact that it had been looted gave her hope that it could have been Lelouch and Nunnaly.

She knew it was foolish but so long as she didn't find their bodies she held hope that, they were still alive. It was bad enough to fail Empress Marianne but her children as well, was more than she could take. But to finally break the truth to Euphie would really break her heart. She knew her little sister cherished Nunnaly as her best friend and harboured a not so secret crush on Lelouch.

She had rallied all the political support she had to reverse the exile once she heard of it but the emperor wouldn't budge. She couldn't believe her father would think so little of his own children or that her own allies would only go through the motions to appease her rather than really try to save two innocent children. The whole experience had embittered her against the emperor and her fellow nobles.

But she couldn't break down and rage at the establishment because she had to be strong for Euphie; it was the only thing that kept her going the past few months.

* * *

**Pendragon, Imperial Palace, Princess Cornelia's Personal Quarters.**

**Cornelia's pov**

Cornelia sat despondently behind her desk sipping on a drink poured by Darlton. The man was luckily not completely opposed to drinking your problems away, so long as she didn't make a habit of it. For now, she was spared his reprimands because the situation was really just that screwed up.

Despite the fact that Schneizel had stopped the downward spiral of the economy there were still problems cropping up all over the place. Many nobles had gone from exceedingly rich to almost destitute, at least in their definition.

The loss of wealth brought with it a loss in status and prestige and the disgraced nobles were still smarting about it.

As a result some nobles had some stupid knee jerk reactions to regain their wealth and with it their honour. Her desk was already piled to the point of collapse with reports about nobles increasing taxation in their lands above the recommended limit according to national policy.

In response, she had sent dozens of requests to have certain nobles executed to the emperor. Those fools didn't understand that though the extra tax money might line their coffers nicely, it also had very costly long-term consequences.

The resentment against nobles that Schneizel had elegantly controlled up until now had suddenly exploded in popularity in those lands. The possibility of internal dissent was now very real and to send a strong message that the empire didn't agree with the tyrannical nobles she had to execute them publicly.

But she doubted distancing themselves from those idiots would be enough and this problem wasn't going to fade in the background anymore. It was now a full-blown movement that was still peaceful and underground but for how long?

She looked up as Guilford entered to check up on her. He didn't say anything to prevent irritating her but he did frown at her disapprovingly. She didn't doubt he was about to mother her so she stopped him before he got started "Has Schneizel had any luck yet tracking down the main culprit?"

Guildford snapped to attention at the request for information "No princess, he is still sifting through shell companies. He says he is having trouble distinguishing malicious intent from ordinary greed from other opportunistic vultures."

"How hard can it be to track down who sold the stocks in large enough quantities to crash the market, don't they record that!"

"They do but it was bought and sold through several subsidiaries and the money is passed through several dummy accounts. Even more troubling is that they pass the money in-between themselves for no discernible reason making a large mess of numbers, causing our forensic accountants to have trouble tracking the money."

"And?" asked Cornelia, the face Guildford was making told her there was more to it than that but didn't want to tell her.

"The accounts also deposited money into noble bank accounts opening up lines of questioning about their complicity. Everyone knows it is probably a false trail but nobles are using it as ammo for old grudges to attack each other."

"Great more infighting, just what I need. " grumbled Cornelia as she took another mighty gulp

Darlton got a call and spoke on the phone for a bit while she contemplated whether or not to take another sip. She was drunk and she knew it, but she was still a functional drunk so it begged the question did she want to be...

"Princess Cornelia we have a problem, the commoners are rioting in the street in new Orléans."

Cornelia groaned in recognition of the bad news. "Have them send a firemen brigade and hose them down."

"At once your highness." acknowledged Darlton and he got back on the phone to relay her orders.

She couldn't use force against the commoners, heck she couldn't even show up in person to prevent agitating and validating them even more. The commoners were relatively unaffected by the stock crashes other than losing jobs through bankruptcy and savings from banks going under.

Okay they did have something to complain about but they weren't blaming the economy in general. Instead, they were screaming for the blood of nobles, proclaiming that the nobles stole their money.

The nobles themselves weren't helping matters with their heavy-handed methods in dealing with them, forcing her to take command of low-level peacekeeping forces. They police were infested by incompetent sons of nobles so she didn't trust them after the Time square massacre, where one noble heir got the bright idea to open fire after he was ridiculed and assaulted by the crowd.

But her authority wasn't unchallenged either thanks to Guinevere. She had for some foolish reason accidentally announced price controls. Her words were meant as a motivational speech but she went off script and her words were ripped out of context into meaning price controls. Going off script could be incredibly moving to the people but when it backfires, it really backfires.

The news programs that weren't state owned ran with it and presented it as new national policy causing massive confusion. The royal family had tried to correct it but only came off as looking clumsy and foolish. It didn't exactly inspire confidence and she by association looked bad.

She wouldn't mind as much if it didn't give some of her other siblings more power by comparison. Carine had actually scored quite a lot of points with the nobility when she spouted her warmongering beliefs. It was taken as cute ramblings of an innocent child for the most part but the heavy-handed nobles agreed with her and might side with her in the future.

She hoped Carine would mature over the years and hoped she never became empress. If she did, she might have to plan an assassination to save the empire. And quite frankly, she wasn't sure if she could kill her own blood even then.

The empire definitely didn't need any protracted wars in the near future and even the acquisition of Japan was coming under fire despite it's near immediate capitulation. The projected costs of rebuilding the country were already being written off as an unnecessary drain on the economy. But without it, the diplomatic repercussions were immense and could provide the excuse the EU and Chinese federation needed to mobilize their people to war.

Reducing millions of people to poverty and starvation was enough of a pretext for war in anyone's book. So as a result, they were being forced to let Japan secede for the moment.

Overall, it looked like it would take five years to recover from this recession at the very least. Unless a hail Mary came through for them.

"Darlton any word from Schneizel yet." She asked again

"Not yet your highness, but once they figure out who is responsible, the rest of this economic issue should evaporate like snow before the sun" reassured Darlton

Cornelia didn't quite share her subordinate and former teacher's optimism. She acknowledged that this crisis was mainly a psychological one but convincing the people of that was still difficult. In some ways, a concrete identifiable problem seemed infinitely better to her. At least then you could say 'its over people we fixed it' and then everything would go back to normal.

But still she had faith in Schneizel's political skills, so in time she believed he could turn this around.

"Lets hope so Darlton." She agreed amicably though she didn't really believe it. They fell into companionable silence as they sipped their drinks and gazed out the window at the imperial city of Pendragon.

She was about to make an inane remark about some birds flying by when suddenly the TV in the corner playing the news on mute got hijacked.

She wouldn't have noticed it, if Guilford's gasp hadn't drawn attention to it. Once she did look at it, it took a few seconds before she realized what she was looking at. The screen showed a Brittannian flag as a backdrop with Lelouch's face in front of it.

Cornelia couldn't believe it, her little brother was alive and well! So his sister Nunnaly probably too, against all odds! But why were they on TV? Was the emperor already using them in a propaganda campaign before they even had a chance to talk to their family?

Then it began, Lelouch addressed the audience with a glare as he spoke.

**Lelouch's broadcast**

This is a recording if you are seeing this; I was probably killed on the emperor's orders. He cares nothing for his children and saw us as weak and so we were cast off as political prisoners and probably sacrificed in the following invasion.

In response I put together a little going away present, if all went to plan there is a massive recession in Britannia. "Said Lelouch with a smug grin "I orchestrated everything so that the economy would crash, if I died, as a final bargaining chip and my revenge. How does it feel Britannia to be brought to your knees by a ten-year-old boy deemed too weak by you to merit living?

Knowing you now have to beg your enemies not to attack you because you would lose any war you would now fight. And that as soon as the crisis passes the emperor will execute all those responsible for this debacle."

Lelouch paused for a second to let those words sink in

"Make no mistake he sentenced me to death for talking back to him, allowing a little boy to derail the entire economy and stop his plans of world conquest," he pointed straight at the viewer " is more than enough to get you executed!"

He then lowered his voice to just a whisper though it could still be heard clearly "Also this was done in just six months!"

He threw his hands up dramatically "Imagine what Schneizel could do, if he wanted to? He is smarter than I am and has more power and despises social Darwinism just as much as me. He could not just bring the empire to its knees but destroy it completely and all you idiotic incompetent nobles would be powerless to stop him."

Lelouch sneered down on them "You are all weak and I am strong and therefore I devoured you. How does it feel when it happens to you Britannia? Knowing it was only your aristocratic titles that gave you a mimicry of strength." He let his words sink in again

"Next time show mercy to the weak you hypocrites, after all you are no different."

The broadcast cut off to grey static and was soon replaced by a flabbergasted reporter who was at a loss for words and was stalling for time.

"I cant believe it," blurted out Guilford

Neither could Cornelia, she was stunned by the fact that they had been brought to the brink of destruction by her own brother. He certainly had the motivation and capability to pull it off but not without help, so who did?

But the fact that he had specifically targeted Schneizel also bugged her.

Did he really think Schneizel was a threat? Or did he do it, to prevent him from pulling the empire back together?

After thinking it over for a second the conclusion was obvious, it was Lelouch's final fuck you. By hamstringing Schneizel, it practically guaranteed that there wasn't going to be an easy solution to their economics woes. But worse than that was the political divide it would cause among the nobles. Schneizel had ruffled a lot of feathers by forcing the nobles into compliance with his reform plan.

The other royal factions would now use that sentiment and this excuse to politically cripple Schneizel.

If they played their cards right, they might just raise enough of a shit storm to put Schneizel all the way to the back of the line for the throne instead, of pole position. If that happened, it was practically up for grabs again, for everyone meaning they would all work together at least for the moment.

* * *

**Carnahan Estate,**

"Hurry up Claire or we'll miss the boat." yelled her father from downstairs

"Just a minute I just need to find my MP3 player!"

"I told you to only grab the bare essentials Claire!" yelled her father back

Claire sighed as she looked under the bed again; it had to be here somewhere. She didn't even get why she had to put up with this nonsense. Just because some blowhard made some ridiculous statements on TV, they suddenly had to run for their lives?

Her daddy was just overreacting and that was that. He was always a worrywart and had the stomach acid to prove it. She didn't quite get what an investment banker did but even if it paid a lot, it wasn't worth it if it took years of your life.

Her mother came into the room and gave that familiar disapproving look at her unpacked suitcase. She had gotten that look, so many times that she was practically immune to it but she still got that phantom itch or something. She couldn't just keep looking her right in the eyes so she just kept searching and ignoring her.

"Claire." said her mother in warm tones "I know you don't understand what's going on and I don't expect you to. But just trusts us for now and do what we say."

That patronizing tone really pissed her off "Why the bloody hell do we need to leave the country just because we got a mysterious deposit in our bank account. We've done nothing wrong! The emperor will see that and just ignore us and go after that delinquent son of his!"

Her mother smiled gently at her, which only annoyed her, even more "You and I know that but the emperor doesn't and things don't look that black and white from the outside. The fact is his son manipulated the system to ruin the country but he couldn't have done it without help. Someone had to have helped him execute the orders and there's a witch hunt going on to find those people and charge them with treason." The fact that treason was punishable by death went unsaid.

Claire gritted her teeth "But daddy didn't even meet the halfblooded bastard! How can they be saying we had anything to do with it?"

"They're not, at least not yet." explained her mother but she held up her hand before Claire could question why they were leaving then. "You're father however was in charge of the financial system that caused a lot of nobles to lose a lot of money. It is irrational but some of the nobles are blaming him and it's only a matter of time before they air their petty grievances by spreading rumours that he did it on purpose. From there rumours will spread and we will turn into full-blown accomplices who were in it from the start. Once that happens, people will scream for our heads and rather than weather the storm with us, our friends will desert us. Once that happens and we're politically isolated, the emperor will see executing us as a viable plan to pacify the masses"

Claire's eyes widened in shock" What…" she choked out" But that's not fair! We didn't do anything wrong they can't just execute us because we're unpopular at the moment!"

Her mother grabbed her into a tight hug and shushed her "I know dear but that's court politics. You've already experienced the backstabbing bitches at your school and I know I've said it'll get better but it won't." she confided, "You'll be stuck with those bitches for the rest of your life only the stakes will increase. Every word will be measured and weighed for possible openings and weaknesses and if you screw up, your family pays the price. And that is what happened, the prince put words in our mouths and now we're vulnerable.

Heck by pointing it out in that damnable broadcast of his he practically insured this witch-hunt would happen. "Grumbled her mother

Claire sniffled as her new reality crashed into her like relentless waves " But…" she tried to finish that sentence but she didn't know what to say. She already cried out for justice but it fell on deaf ears so what else was there to say?

"But we're going to leave all that behind us honey." her mother finished for her" Your father arranged safe entrance into the EU where they don't care about nobility. Off course, we'll still be treated with respect like we're used to, but this time it'll only be because of our money. We might emigrate back to the empire once a more forgiving emperor takes the throne, but for now I'm looking forward to a nice party with friends without having to worry about our family's prestige."

Claire nodded "But won't they come after us?"

Claire could see the worry in her mother's eyes but she kept up her smiling mask so she decided not to press whatever answer she gave "They might, but right now they're too busy arguing over whether or not prince Schneizel is the right man to lead us. They'll spend so much time playing tug of war between the different factions that they won't even know we're gone."

Claire nodded and threw a few random clothes into her suitcase without her usual obsession with colour coördination. She then closed it and followed her mother down the stairs without another word.

She arrived in the EU two weeks later and made a lot off new friends who were a lot nicer than her old ones, once she got used to how disrespectful they were. She chalked it up to a cultural difference after a little sit-down with her mom. Though the message didn't really get through to her until she read on the internet that her house had been burned down by an angry mob, one of her 'friends' from school had posted the link online. After she read what all her former friends had said about her, she preferred the new ones who called her a stuck up bitch to her face.

* * *

**Europe, News Channel**

"This is Euronews with a special report about the aftermath of the prince's revenge or as the people on the streets are already calling it the prince's blessing.

As everyone already knows, the chain of events that prince Lelouch set in motion caused an economic crisis in Britannia and forced it to retreat from Japan. Thanks to prince Lelouch's actions, the freedom of a whole nation has been preserved and has shown the tyrannical regime of Britannia for what it really is. One can only hope that Britannia learns from this experience and decides to follow more democratic traditions.

But recent news from Britannia indicates something different. The emperor has silenced the opposition to prince Schneizel by giving his blessing to his son. This unprecedented show of nepotism and concentration of power in the imperial family proves they are still going to continue their tradition of cronyism and collective narcissism.

Prince Schneizel armed with the blessing of the emperor has already issued several important royal decrees. He has declared that there will be no increases in military spending for the next four years in a blatant attempt to appease the more peace-oriented nations.

He has also announced that they will lower their agreed percentage of the sakuradite export from Japan. This is again an attempt to sooth our outrage by bribing us into silence.

One mustn't forget that the deal to divide the sakuradite mined in Japan equally among the three superpowers was initially brokered by prince Schneizel because Britannia couldn't afford the costs of colonization and peacekeeping forces.

The treaty was accepted as a bloodless way to expel Britannia from Japanese soil. But Britannia lacks the strength to enforce the treaty and Japan is all too wiling to break it. This means that prince Schneizel is basically selling us hot air.

Now some may be wondering what the prince is angling for. Well we received an anonymous tip on our website from chessaficionado12 that suggests he is building the necessary goodwill to negotiate the return of the political refugees that fled the empire.

The refugees took with them a significant amount of capital and by offering them a pardon for desertion prince Schneizel intends to regain use of it.

It is however still unclear whether the exiled nobles would accept a gesture of leniency from a man who sentenced his own children to death.

Or alternatively if it was just an attempt to influence our referendum about whether we should go to war with the Holy Britannian Empire. If so it has worked because the majority vote was no.

The politicians have accepted the people's will and have decided to redirect our efforts towards humanitarian efforts to help rebuilt war-torn Japan

Several construction firms are already in negotiations with the Japanese, though critics say that Japan doesn't have the money to afford it and we'll likely be forced to forgive their debt. The president of the EU however has already reassured us that we'll be going ahead with reconstruction despite this, because we need to help those in need. He is confident that Japan will regain their former glory and repay the debt or find alternative payment by providing raw resources. "

* * *

**Japan, Tokyo**

**Suzaku pov**

Suzaku was staring despondently at the latest news on his television. Just one thought pervaded his mind and that was 'it was all in vain'

Kaguya tried to reassure him "Suzaku it's gonna be alright. You still have friends and family who won't abandon you"

"Kaguya I can accept my family disowning me. It's after all no less than I deserve for the crime I committed. "Replied Suzaku

Seeing her puzzled look he continued, "The thing I can't accept is that it was all in vain. I killed my father for nothing!" He cried out in anguish

Kaguya tried to comfort him but he didn't miss the lack of sincerity in her words. She would have preferred to fight to the last man standing, uncaring of how many Japanese people died. But she was pushing her beliefs aside to try to comfort him, which he appreciated. He didn't think it would work but he appreciated the distraction and the chance to confess his sins.

"Suzaku you did that to stop the war and now the war has stopped, so your goal has been fulfilled, even if it wasn't by your hand. If you truly only care for the Japanese people then you should be satisfied with that."

"I did do it for the people! " Suzaku vehemently protested "But this isn't the end of it, Britannia will attack again and then we will fight to the death. There will be no last-minute miracle orchestrated by Lelouch and we will be massacred!"

"Then we will fight and defeat them the next time. Nothing is written in stone yet, we can become stronger as long as we don't lose the will to do so."

"And how many people will die to prevent Britannia from landing on our shores. Without help from the other superpowers we are but a fly to be swatted by Britannia's might. We have no choice but to join either the EU or the Chinese or even Britannia of our own volition."

"You would throw away our independence that easily?" asked Kaguya askance

"If it means saving the people than yes!"

"You would rather be a slave to a foreign master than fight for our culture and freedom?"

Suzaku shook his head at the rhetoric Kaguya spouted, that sounded the same as the one her father spouted and his father along with him. He doubted she even knew what she was really saying. "Eventually the empire will become too big to be controlled by just pure-blooded britannians. They will start integrating numbers when they are the overwhelming minority. Once that happens we can work our way up from the inside and change the system from the inside."

"You realize that Britannia is a militarized country, to have any real power you would have to join the military Suzaku."

"If that's what it will take then that will be what I'll do, to save the Japanese people!"

"You're forgetting the heavy prejudice and discrimination that is rampant in Britannian culture. They will never promote you!"

"There may be some rotten apples but Nunnaly and Lelouch proved that not all of them are as bad as they are made out to be"

"Suzaku you idiot! They were the exception to the rule and because of that; they were sentenced to death despite being little children!" Kaguya screamed back at him

"They got sent here because Lelouch mouthed off to the emperor but Nunnaly told me about how kind her other siblings were"

"Of course she wouldn't tell you about how awful the rest were, that just being polite Suzaku. They have a hundred brothers and sisters and they told you of only four. Now what does that tell you about the rest?"

"Lelouch said they were so detached from the problems of the common people that they lived in a delusional world kept in place by the nobles. If I can just talk to them I know I can convince them to become better people. After all Lelouch said they were like overgrown children who were never taught how to become grown ups. "

"You presume too much Suzaku. There is no way you can act like a parent figure to the royal family no less. Just because Lelouch and Nunnaly were forgiving towards your insults doesn't mean the rest of them will."

"I don't need to. I just need to figure out which one has the most gentle heart and help that person take the throne. "

"So you intend to become a personal knight to that person then?" Kaguya asked in disbelief "Those people swear their whole life to their service. They are nothing more than glorified meat shields and slaves depending on your definition. If you chose wrong, there will be no going back and you will be forced to commit atrocities in their name."

"Then I will make sure I chose right." Suzaku declared resolutely

Kaguya glared at his bullheadedness. Seeing this made Suzaku relax a bit, Kaguya was always so cute when she was angry. "Anyways that's all hypothetical for now. Right now I need to find a way to convince our families to ally with another superpower to prevent another war on our shore." He had a distinct lack of credibility now that he was known as the 'Traitor of Japan' within the inner circle of the government.

"I doubt you will have much luck with that either. When news came in about the economic crises and caused the retreat many Japanese immediately praised Lelouch."

"Yeah I heard they are calling it prince Lelouch's blessing rather than his revenge. But what has that to do with making an alliance? "

"Because idiot, it effectively sabotaged the Britannian war machine. Britannia can't attack us for another three years at least, unless they want to deal with an economic crisis at the same time as a war. The county is in chaos but everyone is elated and hopeful about the future. Not to mention the miracle of Itsukushima from Tohdoh has given the people hope that it is possible to beat those knightmares with enough preparation. "

Suzaku blinked in surprise "Itsukushima was a lot of luck, planning and ambushes, there is no way it will work twice."

"You and I may know that, but most people believe in it and no one is going to tell them different to prevent morale from dropping."

"They shouldn't lie to the people just so that they can wage war for their own satisfaction." grumbled Suzaku

"Suzaku if we don't give the people hope they will give in to fatalistic thoughts and give up hope. They will descend into chaos and start riots, do you know how many people will get hurt if that happens."

Suzaku sighed in defeat "I guess you're right."

"I am and about more than just this." Kaguya said as she got up to leave his small apartment.

Suzaku said his farewells and watched her go. He admitted Kaguya had some points but he wasn't prepared to throw away so many lives to preserve their way of life. Customs and traditions changed over time anyways, so there was no point in throwing away lives to save it. He would save the people themselves even if it meant adopting a new name.

He grabbed his jacket and went out into the ruins of Tokyo to join one of the clean up crews. The bombing runs had severely damaged the city, and even now people were busy clearing the rubble away to get the city operational again.

As he picked up another piece of concrete to place on the flatbed truck that was going to haul it to god knows where. His thoughts drifted to Lelouch who had manipulated the Britannian system to crumble Britannia from within and forced the retreat.

He wondered if Lelouch had done it to save the Japanese people or had something else in mind. If he had done it for the Japanese he figured Lelouch would have told him about it. But Lelouch was always secretive so that in itself didn't really mean much.

The only thing he was sure about was that Lelouch was either dead or wanted by the Britannian military. Seeing as every Britannian noble and commoner now cursed his name.


	4. Chapter 4 Surviving War-torn Japan

**Japan**

**Back to Lelouch a month prior**

Lelouch had hidden in the forest for two weeks while taking the long route towards the Ashford's residence. However, the countryside was filling up with fleeing Japanese, which in itself was not a problem.

The problem was their unmitigated hate for britannians and the fact that the depravity of man reached new heights during war. If they were found they would receive a severe beating at the very least by these angry Japanese.

Lelouch stuck to the shadows and always hid their food a decent distance from were they slept every night to prevent animals and desperate Japanese from thinking that they were good targets.

As if god himself wanted to crush his hopes, he heard Suzaku say "I think those guys are following our trail"

He looked back and followed Suzaku's gaze until he found a group of Japanese men cautiously walking through the bushes.

"They could just be random refugees "Lelouch offered feebly in denial" They could just be scavenging for food like all the other refugees."

"No I don't think so; they have been following us for a while now." Suzaku replied back

Lelouch scowled at that, not only was he followed by a group of possibly malicious Japanese but Suzaku hadn't even bothered to mention it before. He decided to bite back his retort at his carelessness to preserve group dynamics. He followed the progress the Japanese were making for a while and noticed they followed their steps almost exactly.

He groaned in frustration. He had worried about that but shrugged it off as a calculated risk. The tracks the men were following were made by the sled tied to Nunnally's wheel chair. He could just abandon it now and run, but that would mean risking starvation within a week.

With the very real concern about not finding another source of food and needing to wait out the war for as long as possible, it wasn't an acceptable loss. One of the main causes of death in a war zone wasn't just bullets but starvation as well. All out, war disrupted all production and it took Herculean efforts to keep enough running to provide basic necessities. Extrapolating from the bombing run on the prime minister's home he knew that all of Japan had to be getting bombed as well. There would be no food produced in a country that already held more citizens than it could sustain naturally. He expected at least twenty percent of the native population to die from starvation unless this war ended soon and relief aid was sent.

He knew this, but the real question was if the Japanese following them knew this. Judging from their dogged pursuit, he would venture a yes and avoid them at all costs. However, he couldn't outrun them forever. Mostly because he was just a child carrying a lot of luggage while they were fully-grown men.

"Suzaku we can't outrun them." he warned his friend and mentally prepared himself for the debate to come.

"Why should we run? We could ask them for help and besides we got plenty of food to share. So there would be no reason for them to hurt us." Suzaku replied back ignorantly

Lelouch stifled a groan at his friend's optimism. Yes, they had enough food to last them for at least two months maybe six if they rationed it. However, he ignored that if they had six other mouths to feed it would only last one-third of that. Britannia held the advantage and would probably win this war within months so they might just have to hold out for things to settle and then leave. However, most likely it would be a while before naval security slackened enough for him to escape meaning he would have to ration it as much as possible.

Those Japanese might be willing to ration at first but it wouldn't be long before hunger drove them to demand a bigger cut. They would be out of luck trying to enforce their rules on six adults. He would probably have to endure some annoying lecture about food doing no good to you if you were dead.

It would end up, in those Japanese fighting them off, or running off with their tails between their legs. Either way if they weren't going to run, it was going to lead to a fight.

"Suzaku we don't have enough food to last forever. We will squabble over it and we will get outvoted by them." outvoted was a euphemism for getting beat down but he didn't need to offend Suzaku's sensibilities right now.

"Lelouch stop it, they are not going to hurt us. Just because they were cold-hearted in Britannia doesn't mean we are the same." retorted Suzaku

Lelouch gritted his teeth but made no further reply. If Suzaku was going to be an idiot than he would just leave before things got violent. He had no chance of outrunning them with the loot and no chance of outfighting them without Suzaku. He could however take Nunnaly, run off by himself, and abandon Suzaku to the whims of the Japanese.

He started untying the sled to have at least some chance of outrunning the Japanese if Suzaku was going to play unintentional decoy.

"Lelouch what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to abandon the only food we are likely to find, so we can run from those Japanese."

"Are you stupid! You'll starve to death and for the last time Japanese aren't as cruel as britannians." Suzaku vehemently protested and stopped him from untying the knots further

" Did you forget Suzaku that we are Britannian? Our country is massacring theirs! If we show our face they will take their anger out on us!" Lelouch tried to reason with him

"You're just children and have nothing to do with that. Don't think Japanese can't see the difference even if we are mad."

Lelouch raged on the inside. This idiot's nationalistic pride was going to get them killed. "If those bastards so much as harm one hair on Nunnally's head I will hold you responsible Suzaku." he whispered menacingly at him.

His friend looked shocked for a second, before he calmly replied," It'll be fine Lelouch trust me."

It wasn't like he had a choice here, it was either starve or take a chance. Maybe he could convince Suzaku to kill them in their sleep after tensions mounted.

Suzaku called out to the wandering group bringing them right to them. Any hope of them perhaps misreading their trail and passing them over was shot with that, however slim it was.

The one in the front asked " What are you kids doing out here all alone, where are your parents?" it sounded innocent enough to Suzaku that he immediately replied but Lelouch wanted to slap him for his carelessness .

He just admitted to the fact they were alone and they could easily overpower them. True they had swords but those Japanese had some makeshift weapons of their own. That iron crowbar may not cut through flesh like his sword could, but one good hit would shatter his skull all the same.

Still he let Suzaku do the talking because he was Japanese and that wouldn't rub them the wrong way as much compared to if he did the talking. He wasn't sure how they would react to him talking Japanese but assumed it wouldn't be good. Besides, he may pick up on some useful information if they thought he couldn't understand them.

He listened closely and eventually they agreed to work together though Suzaku had to pull rank on them by revealing his identity as the prime minister's son. He thought they were loyal to the government when they agreed to help him when they heard that but Lelouch just saw the greed in their eyes. They were either going to hand them over to the Japanese government for a reward or the Britannian one. Whichever they saw first, though the Japanese was more likely because they had less of a chance at being shot on sight with them.

" And who are the Britannian brats?" asked one of the group now identified as Natsume.

Lelouch prayed that Suzaku had the good sense not to tell them they were Britannian royalty at least. "They are the children of the trade ambassador from Britannia. They got stranded here when the invasion started" Suzaku fibbed

For once Suzaku had the common decency to lie. He was scared for a second that he would stick to his philosophy that liars were evil and tell the truth.

Natsume the apparent leader of the group eyeballed them and summed them up eloquently " Hmm deadweight huh."

Lelouch bristled at the insult but chose not to reply in the slightest because he wasn't supposed to understand that. No sense in wasting valuable advantages over petty insults, he had dealt with worse in Pendragon.

Suzaku gave him a look that basically screamed that he didn't understand why Lelouch didn't defend himself but luckily, he didn't voice it.

Instead he tried defending him himself" He is not deadweight. Without him we wouldn't even have all this food to share."

That idiot!

Natsume just glared at Lelouch harder "So he stole it from a house somewhere along the way huh." it wasn't a question it was a statement.

Immediately Suzaku protested that it was food from his house but the notion that they were scavengers was already firmly in planted. They weren't going to change their minds despite lip service saying otherwise. Scavenging was only natural in a war zone but with them being Britannian, it just looked like they stole it from some more deserving Japanese family.

This was actually a real concern during war, often enough raiders would steal other families' food causing them to starve. When he mentioned a house, he clearly put him in that category rather than the scavengers that raided abandoned grocery shops and supermarkets.

After a pointless discussion about whether Lelouch was a raider, they switched to planning out their next move. Again Lelouch felt like slapping Suzaku over the head when he agreed to go towards the closest city despite hearing from the other Japanese that the small city they were in got bombed.

It would only be logical that it either was already bombed too or it was going to be. That city was going to be crawling with desperate people who saw them as an easy mark and he decided to waltz right in there.

He was seriously second-guessing his decision to fake not being able to understand Japanese. In the end, though he knew he wasn't going to change their minds even if he did speak up. He wished he could just force them to follow his lead, at least then this wouldn't turn into a disaster.

He then looked towards Nunnally and saw that she was scared but was holding her tongue. She didn't speak Japanese as well as him but she understood enough to know that these men weren't friendly. He moved towards her and tried to reassure her as best he could.

After some, more arguing amongst themselves the group decided to move out. He got assigned scouting duty and got separated from his sister, which annoyed the hell out of him. He glared at Suzaku but the boy just shrugged it off.

* * *

**Suzaku pov**

He didn't get why Lelouch had his panties in a bunch so much over these guys. His friend really got way too paranoid sometimes. It was true that he could think things through in a way he would never be able to, but out of all the scenarios, he could envision he always thought the most pessimistic one was the most likely.

Take him to a restaurant and he hears the regular chef called in sick and had someone new fill in for him and Lelouch immediately tensed, as if he feared he was going to get poisoned. Because of this Suzaku had learned to take Lelouch's concerns with a pinch of salt and some common sense.

These guys were just some local villagers trying to meet up with family in Tokyo now that the power went out in the area. He wasn't sure if it was nation wide but he doubted it. It was probably a bomber strike on the nearby power plant causing a local black out. Once he got to Tokyo, he would be able to get into contact with his father and sort this mess out.

It was a long trek on foot but within a day or two, they should make it over there. He would have preferred just waiting for rescue from one of his father's subordinates, but Lelouch had a fair point when he reasoned that Britannian soldiers might come to kill him.

He didn't quite believe Lelouch was really the target but he didn't want to argue over pointless things. He had enough trouble just convincing Lelouch to be more than two meters separated from his sister. It had taken several oaths for Lelouch to loosen up enough to go scout out the area. He would have done it himself but Lelouch wasn't anymore comfortable with that option and Natsume pointed out that everyone had to pull their own weight.

At which point Lelouch seemed ready to launch into an argument, but refrained for some reason. He really didn't get why Lelouch was being so uncharacteristically quiet and only spoke in Britannian.

He shrugged it off as he stirred the fire some more while the guys gutted the fish they caught in the nearby river. They had plenty of non-perishables, but it was better to save those for later.

He did a quick count of the fish and realized it wasn't enough for all of them. It wasn't surprising but still disappointing, he decided to make some small talk" Not much luck at the river huh."

Natsume glanced at him "I don't know what you're talking about. This is about as much as you can realistically expect from the river."

Suzaku frowned" I thought these woods and rivers were full of wildlife."

"In storybooks or old legends maybe, but nowadays they are scarcer than you'd think. Either that or we lack the skill to catch them. It comes down to the same thing either way."

Suzaku let out a sigh "I guess we will have to make due with our supplies until the war ends."

Natsume glared at him" You don't get it do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"This war is only going to end with Britannia winning it's only a question of when and you know how they treat their conquered."

Suzaku nodded glumly "Yeah they get treated like second class citizens."

" That's a euphemism if I ever heard one. They get treated like slaves at best and annoying eyesores at worst. We need to escape this god forsaken country before it's too late."

"You would abandon Japan? "Asked Suzaku incredulously

"Wake up kid pretty soon there won't be a Japan. The only thing that matters is surviving long enough to escape and meeting up with our family in the mean time."

"I guess," offered Suzaku tentatively

"This means we will be stuck living on scraps in the forests for months on end. So we can't afford any deadweight."

Suzaku's head snapped up when he heard that " Whatta ya mean?" he asked fearfully

"Do I need to spell it out for you kid? That other Britannian brat may come in useful but this one is a burden we don't need."

Nunnaly let out a surprised gasp.

"So you do speak Japanese. I was wondering because you seemed to react to our words but never responded. "

Natsume gave a nod to one of his friends "….Do it."

"No wait! Don't do it!" yelled Suzaku as he tried to intervene. The other guys stopped him before he got to Nunnaly. He struggled as hard as he could but he couldn't overpower all of them at the same time and only succeeded in grabbing all of their attention.

However, from the corner of his eye he saw Lelouch coming out of the bushes and quickly grabbing Nunnally's wheelchair and darting back into the forest.

He felt some of the tension in his muscles relax as he breathed out a sigh of relief that his friends were safe. He for once was thankful for Lelouch's paranoid delusions that had probably kept him close to the camp to spy on them instead of scouting like he was supposed to.

He resigned himself to the rearguard action and kicked and screamed as much as possible to keep them from noticing that Nunnaly was gone.

He knew he was strong for his age but he was still no match for six grown men unarmed. He cursed his carelessness when he left his sword by the fire. He could have beaten them easily if he had it in his hands but they weren't letting him get anywhere close to it.

After a while, one of them noticed that Nunnally was gone. " Hey the little brat is gone!"

" The other one must have come back and grabbed her. She couldn't have escaped by herself, there are too many trees here for her to navigate around them."

One of them chuckled "True she'd probably bump into every tree along the way and get tangled up in some bushes."

"Exactly." agreed Natsume " Alright guys lets spread out and find her quickly before they cover too much ground."

" Just leave her alone. You got the food and got rid of the dead weight so you don't need to hurt them anymore." yelled Suzaku in outrage

"Kid you really are clueless aren't ya." sneered Natsume " The wheelchair was used to tug this sled around, without it we'd have to carry it ourselves. Do you have any idea how much that will slow us down and not to mention how hard that would be. I don't care about the kids I just need that wheelchair. "

" If I ask them to give it to you will you let us go then?" asked Suzaku desperately

Natsume sighed in exasperation " Knock him out, we don't have time to deal with his idiotism."

Suzaku struggled fiercely but passed out when he got hit in the back of the head.

Lelouch was running as fast as he could without looking back. He barely spared a thought for his friend, scratch that ex-friend. Well okay that was a lie he couldn't stop thinking but there was no denying he was severing all ties of friendship with Suzaku. Despite his protests, Suzaku had almost unintentionally engineered the death of his little sister. If there was one unforgivable sin in his book then that was certainly it.

As far as he was concerned, Suzaku was dead to him. However, putting childish tantrums aside he needed to figure out his more pressing concern rather than distract himself with easier matters.

Nunnaly's wheelchair was still making a slight depression in the ground even without the added weight of the sled.

Lelouch cursed his luck as he pushed his sister's wheelchair as fast as he could but the forest was not easy to traverse with a wheelchair. He was already tiring out and was considering ditching the wheelchair and to just take their weapons and hard drives.

It would mean starvation if he abandoned the few supplies tied to the wheelchair itself. However, if those Japanese found them, they might die. He had already seen enough Japanese corpses made by the Britannian military that he had no doubt that these men were eager to return the favour.

He made his decision, he ditched the wheel chair, reversed the backpack with the hard drives so they were on top of his stomach and carried his sister on his back and carried his sword in his hand and told Nunnaly to hold on to the gun.

He cursed the Japanese for their dogged pursuit, he had felt a kinship to them when they too were attacked by Britannia but now he lost all sympathy and empathy with them. People were all the same if given the chance they would prey on the weak.

* * *

**Nunnaly pov**

Nunnaly was scared, as much as her brother had tried to hide it by telling her that the bad smell was really a garbage container and other sugar-coating. It was not enough to hide the fact that the bad smell was everywhere or the smell and sound of the bombs falling from the sky. And especially the fact that they were running from a group of angry Japanese.

Nunnaly was not stupid, naïve maybe but certainly not stupid. She knew she would be a burden on her brother when she became crippled, but now she might be the death of him. He could probably get away by himself if he left her behind.

He might not be in the best physical shape, but without her slowing him down, he would have a chance of reaching the Ashfords. She cursed her helplessness and most of all those Japanese who were causing her brother so much suffering. All because they viewed them as deadweight. She knew she was dead weight in every sense of the word but her brother was anything but and she refused to drag him down with her.

* * *

**Lelouch pov**

Lelouch was at his wit's end, he could not leave anything else behind. He needed those weapons if worst came to worst.

He needed those hard drives to build a support base in the EU. His going away present was a start but only a foundation, he needed to strike the iron while it was hot. His going away present should give him some funds to start up in the EU but not enough to carry out his plans. Those hard drives would give him all the funds he would need and the right contacts as well, if he played his cards right. They were basically his future and so he couldn't part with it either.

The easiest thing to leave behind would be his sister to make his escape but that was the one thing he refused above all else. He deliberated some more on how to escape, specifically if he could take advantage of the landscape to send them off on a wild goose chase. But he lacked the knowledge to do so effectively.

But the point would be moot soon anyway he could already hear them approaching. Before he could see them in the distance following their trail now and then, but now he could hear their voices coordinating their search effort. It was hopeless he had failed his sister and his recording would not just ensure his would-be-hosts of his allegiance against Britannia but would really be his funeral speech.

* * *

**Nunnaly pov**

Nunnaly could feel the muscles in her brother tensing at the sound of their pursuers approach. She could hear them spotting them and had learned enough basic Japanese to understand their derogatory insults. And judging by their tone of voice they were definitely hostile, she even picked out the word she had heard so much in those battle anime her brother and Suzaku liked watching. Shine, it was pronounced differently than she was used to but she still knew it meant die .

She was beyond scared now, she knew now why her brother was pushing himself beyond his limit. He had known beforehand what would happen when somebody found them. It was why she had a gun in her hand despite the fact that she hated killing, not because her brother hands were full but for her protection.

Her brother was hesitating, probably afraid what she would think of him if he tried to kill them in self-defence. As much as she hated killing she loved her brother more, she wanted him to live no matter what, so she told him.

" Lelouch its fine, I know they are trying to kill us don't hesitate, feel free to kill them to survive no matter what. I'll love you no matter what happens, I will always love you." she reassured him as best she could

* * *

**Lelouch pov**

Lelouch felt a weight lift of his shoulders he did not know was there. He had tried forming a plan of attack that did not involve Nunnaly but he could not leave her nor could he kill right in front of her and still be her caring older brother. It was a petty concern in the face of survival but nonetheless he could not abandon it so easily, but now that he had permission to do so. He knew it would change everything but it was better than death.

As long as he could see her smile in a gentle world he did not care who and how many had to die to achieve it. He carefully put his sister down against a tree and moved away into the foliage. He used the falling of darkness and the thick forest to his advantage to launch a sneak attack. He snuck up on them and sliced one of their throats to quickly kill and silence him. But the body crashed through the bushes and made enough sound to draw the other's attention. When they didn't get a response if the guy whose throat he just slashed was alright they realized they were under attack and where he was.

He absentmindedly thanked the prime minister that it was illegal for citizens to own firearms or he would be dead already. His pursuers only had numbers and some makeshift weapons which were deadly nonetheless .

" Back off!" he yelled " Just leave us alone or I'll kill the lot of you" he threatened trying to sound more menacing and confident than he felt.

" You killed Yamamoto you bastard there's no way we're letting Brit scum get away with that." Yelled a voice through the canopy " What am I supposed to tell my sister that her fiancé just decided to back out of the wedding at the last-minute without a word."

Lelouch cursed his luck that he just had to have a family man as his assailant. Well he doubted he could have scared them off without a show of force in the first place and at least now, there was one bastard less to deal with.

Judging by the sounds around him, they were trying to surround them but if he moved carelessly, he would just give away his position completely. His best bet was to find an opening and sneak out of the encirclement to attack them from behind and lead them away from his sister.

A twig snapped just to the right of him and he could see a pretty good look guy raking his back and forth trying to spot him through the leaves. It would only be a matter of time before he saw him through the leaves as well or he walked around the bush where he didn't have enough cover.

Lelouch gripped his sword until his knuckles turned white and he had to force himself to relax. He took a deep breath when the guy came into range and with one smooth motion swung the sword in a diagonal upward arc.

He managed to cut the guy deeply and could distinctly hear him gurgling on his own blood as his longs filled with them. Lelouch was faintly surprised the guy didn't scream. He seemed more interested in touching the wound with his fingers and holding them up to his eyes so he could double-check.

Lelouch took the moment the guy needed to realize he was dying to reset his stance because he never managed to transition smoothly in between them. With his next stroke, he cut his throat to prevent him from calling for help if he ever got around to it.

The guy fell boneless to the ground and crashed into some bush with wooden branches that broke under his weight. The snapping and cracking drew the attention of the others and all his efforts to remain stealthy were for nothing.

The other guys crashed through the canopy to figure out what happened and Lelouch tried to take advantage of their momentary disorientation by launching another surprise attack but this guy blocked with his crowbar on instinct.

Lelouch immediately tried to break off and try again to take advantage of his lighter weapon and consequently it's higher speed but the guy realized it as well and immediately grabbed the hilt of the sword. Lelouch tried tugging it loose but the guy was too strong for him, even if he had a better grip on the sword. So he let go and jumped back.

He was now unarmed and still left with four attackers.

* * *

**Nunnaly pov**

Nunnaly listened carefully for the enemies' positions and how her brother killed them and whispered quiet encouragements at him. But when her brother lost his sword, she knew it was her turn to act.

She had hoped it would never come to this but they refused to leave them alone and she could not let her brother be the only one to dirty his hands. No, they would carry the sin together, until the end.

She knew where her targets were, she had listened carefully to their footsteps. She resolutely pulled the trigger and confirmed she was right about their location, with their screams of anguish and when their body thudded onto the ground as they died.

She knew where the remaining pursuers were, when she heard them scream something. Probably that they would take revenge for their fallen friends. She could not let them though, she would save her brother. She aimed her gun carefully and shot in quick succession. It helped not having to see what her actions did, but the sound of the soulless husks hitting the ground was unnerving nonetheless. But then she was hit on the back of her head and her world became mute.

* * *

**Lelouch pov**

Lelouch was horrified when his sister opened fire and killed their pursuers with two quick shots to the chest. He wanted to carry this burden by himself, to at least shield his sister from this. He wanted to reach out, grab the gun, and shoot them himself.

But he was too late, the three were already dead and his sister's small dainty hands already covered in blood. Wait three! Were did the other one go? And then he heard a weird noise from behind, he quickly turned around.

He saw his sister's body go slack, after a moment of confusion he recognised the figure standing over her and the bloody rock on the ground. That meant Nunnaly now had a serious head wound. If that got infected, she could die within hours! And there wasn't a hospital he could trust not to hand him over or even to still be standing.

He spotted the gun lying on the ground and with that realization, time seemed to speed up again.

He pushed his concern for Nunnaly to the side for the moment and refocused on the gun Nunnaly had been holding. He raced forward to grab it before his opponent could.

The gun had been knocked out of Nunnally's hand and was now lying in between them. Natsume seemed momentarily confused by his seemingly reckless unarmed charge.

It didn't take him long to realize he was going for the gun, but it gave him the head start he desperately needed. He dove towards the ground to grab the gun and come up in a crouch.

He had the gun in hand but not enough time to raise it before he was tackled to the ground again. They struggled on the ground, his opponent didn't let him aim at him nor did he release it.

It was Lelouch's only hope to win this confrontation. So he bit Natsume, which temporarily caused him to slacken his grip on the gun, and he could aim at his legs. He fired immediately, he knew he was physically outmatched in this fight and any wound no matter how small, that could level the playing field was welcome.

Natsume cried out in pain and then re-intensified his struggle. Although not fatal that wound was sapping his strength but it was still all Lelouch could do to hold on. They fought for another few minutes kicking, punching, and clawing at each other. Lelouch was losing and there was only one bullet left in the gun. He could fire it in the bushes and hope Natsume would slowly bleed out. It was possibly the safest thing to do because he would soon lose control of the gun and Natsume although weakening fast would have an opportunity to take him with him.

So Lelouch fired into the air. This sudden act seemed accidental to his assailant nor did he realize that he just fired the last round as he was still fervently trying to get it. So he let go of the gun and while Natsume regrouped with the gun and took aim. He retreated to Nunnaly and pulled her away.

After he did so, Lelouch saw the big wound on the back of her head and all the blood oozing out of it. He was worried and dozens of different medical diagnoses flitted through his brain but none sounded promising.

Natsume triumphantly pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger but the gun did not fire. His big grin suddenly turned to horror as he realized he was immobilized with a useless gun and a mobile opponent he had let go off. Lelouch put his sister back on the ground and made sure she was comfy. He then slowly walked towards the sword still trapped underneath the corpse of the man Nunnaly had shot.

"So I have just one question for you, why did you have to kill us? We were no threat to you." asked Lelouch after he swayed to the side to dodge the pistol Natsume just threw at his head.

The man gave out a barking laughter at that "You just slaughtered all my friends and you say you're no threat when you're just a little brat!"

" True enough." shrugged Lelouch " I'll rephrase, what drove you to kill us in the first place?"

Natsume shrugged in defeat "Simple necessity, we needed that wheelchair and we couldn't afford to keep feeding you if we wanted to survive."

Lelouch glared at the man" You would kill children simply to make your own lives easier."

Natsume inspected his leg wound, probably trying to judge whether he could run on it for one last charge to take Lelouch with him " Don't preach mister high and mighty. Everyone tries to take advantage of someone else in small and big ways. The only thing stopping us from descending into chaos is the rule of law. " Natsume rationalized

Lelouch thought about it and admitted the man had a point. Since ancient times people would fight over meaningless things and were only held back by their leaders. The flip side was that people would also fight over meaningless things on behalf of their leaders. For the most part people were held back, but now they had entered an unprecedented period of fighting on behalf of their leaders thanks to his father.

The cycle of hatred had intensified to nearly incurable levels, at least in the short-term. Even if the emperor died, the people of the world wouldn't forget past grudges and would fight among themselves for possibly centuries. After all, that conflict in the middle eastern federation about who were the rightful owners of a piece of land was only settled for the most part when the hatred for Britannia united them.

Lelouch could only see two methods to solve this, creating a huge scapegoat to gather all the hatred in the world onto itself or a strong government that could keep the people in check while the grudges slowly faded.

"You're right even the weak preys upon the weaker if given the chance. But I will re-forge this world anew to protect them even from themselves." Lelouch declared confidently while pulling his sword out from underneath a corpse whose name he couldn't remember.

"Ha you're just a kid so don't talk like you can actually change something." scoffed Natsume " You Britannians may be right bastards but you aren't lying when you say that the strong crushing the weak is the natural order of things. The world will gobble you up and spit you back out before you can change a thing."

" That may indeed be the truth but if so, I will make my lies become the truth through my actions! " yelled Lelouch as he charged forward. Natsume tried to get up, and fight but his leg gave out on him and he fell back to the ground and could only put his arms up in a feeble defence. Lelouch reached him, slashed the man deeply across the chest, and cut off one of his arms.

Natsume chuckled and spat out some blood "I will see you in hell, after all the road to it is paved with good intentions."

Lelouch frowned at the parting words of the man he hated more than anyone in the world since he mortally wounded his sister. Was he already destined to go to hell because he killed? He didn't doubt that Natsume would go there since he hurt Nunnaly but was he a bad person as well?

Whether or not he was, a bad person was a subjective thing, which depended on who you asked. If he asked Cornelia and Schneizel they would reassure him, he did the right thing. But if he asked the family of those he just killed, he would be called the most vile murderer to ever walk upon the earth.

Was he now a demon, or could he still repent by helping others? Was being good or bad a popularity contest, where he had to convince people of his goodness. But what about his hidden flaws, that people wouldn't know about. Would ignorance be bliss, for them and for him?

He decided it didn't matter in the end if he was good or not. He had made his choice, and was going to change this world for the better, even if people wouldn't recognize him as a good person.


	5. Chapter 5 Friends you can count on

**Ashford Residence**

Milly was worried, she was in the middle of a war zone but she was in the Britannian part of Tokyo and was spared from the bombing raids because of it. She idly wondered what happened to that black-haired boy she had met once or twice. According to her grandfather, he was also in this country in the care of the Japanese. Which didn't make any sense to her because they were attacking the Japanese meaning they had to be pretty mad at Lelouch because of it. If he was an ordinary commoner, she could understand it but Lelouch was royalty and specifically the family line her family had sworn loyalty to.

Lelouch had released them from their vows publicly to take the bulls-eye of their backs when the nobles tried to settle past grudges against Empress Marianne. However, her grandfather had told them in private that despite that, they were still honour bound to the VI Britannia line. She understood the reason why they did it and was happy that her lord at least cared about his servants. They could have forsaken him and no one would have blamed them but he had made them want to serve him of their own volition.

Though the fact that every noble she came across lately openly sneered down upon them didn't exactly endear them either. Given the choice between backstabbing snakes and a brilliant young man who cared about them, it was an easy choice.

Grandfather had told them they would risk a lot of danger but they had already lost a large part of their fortune and their noble titles. They had nothing tying them to Britannia anymore. They could either fade away into obscurity and try to marry back into the nobility by using their wealth as a bargaining chip or take the plunge.

When she heard that, she may face an arranged marriage with an old baron she knew which option she wanted. Her parents weren't as enthusiastic but were still grudgingly on board because grandfather was still the head of the house.

Her musings about her future where cut short when the doorbell rang, she quickly walked toward the front door yelling "I'll get it."

When she opened the door she was shocked, on her doorstep was a boy her age carrying a girl a few years younger whose head was bleeding. She recognized him as Lelouch after she had a few seconds to get over their dishevelled appearance.

"Milly I need someone to help my sister." He grunted out,

He was clearly exhausted and was about to collapse but refused to do so until he could put his sister down safely.

"Grandpa you need to get over here!" She yelled in response not knowing any better.

She supposed she could phone the Britannian paramedics but she wasn't sure that was a good idea. So she just deferred to her grandpa to handle things. She could already hear her grandfather coming down the stairs.

Ruben Ashford appeared in the hallway and took one long look at Nunnaly and Lelouch. His gaze especially kept flitting back towards Nunnaly's head. He then took out his phone from his pocket and starting phoning somebody

Milly could see a brief flash of fear appear in Lelouch's eyes. "Ruben we can't afford the military to get wind of us here." He warned

"Don't worry this is a Japanese doctor I met over here. He doesn't follow the news much so he won't recognize you. I will just tell him you're some random orphans seeking asylum."

That didn't seem to reassure Lelouch "Need I remind you of the current political landscape Ruben."

Her grandfather sighed "I know it's a risk but I believe this man will hold more value in his Hippocratic oaths than any senseless hatred, especially considering you're still just children."

Lelouch still didn't look relieved but gave a terse nod as he moved into the house. Her grandpa showed him towards one of the guestrooms where he could lay Nunnaly down. After that was done, a tense silence descended upon them as they waited for the doctor.

Milly would normally make some kind of joke to liven things up but right now, she felt that it would be inappropriate. She sat in her comfy chair staring at the wall to keep from staring at the fragile little girl who was her lady. She felt intensely uncomfortable with all the grim and serious faces around the room, but didn't want to leave either. There was no way she was missing any of this unless forced to by her grandfather.

The murky silence was pierced by the ringing doorbell; she quickly got up to answer it. She opened the door to a much more welcome sight than the last. On the doorstep stood a Japanese man covered with a long scarf to hide his face, who was squinting in the darkness at shapes she couldn't make out. Apparently, he was paranoid because he was inside the Britannian zone. She couldn't blame him considering almost everyone wanted to kill him here, and wondered what her grandpa had said to him to convince him to come here.

"Don't just stand there, get in before someone sees you." she ordered quickly

The man's attention snapped back to her and gave a quick bow before he hastily stepped through the door. By this time, they were rejoined by her grandpa who took over filling the man in and led him to the guest room with Nunnaly.

She felt a bit useless as she stood there in the hallway and wondered what she should be doing. She spotted her grandfather coming back out of the room followed by a grim-faced Lelouch. She decided to follow them to eavesdrop on a no doubt interesting conversation. They went into a little side room and Milly pressed her ear to the door.

* * *

**Lelouch pov **

Lelouch stared at the roaring fireplace as he pondered his plans to distract himself from his sister's condition. Any moment that doctor could come back to pronounce his diagnosis. He dreaded those words more than anything as he personally thought it could only be bad news, like hearing you were sentenced to life in prison.

He didn't even want to leave the room, but Ruben had chided him that he shouldn't hover, and whispered in his ear that his personal maid would watch over her. Apparently, this Sayako was an accomplished ninja despite her young age and somehow Ruben had acquired her loyalty. It was surprising but not particularly shocking with Ruben's fascination with the eccentric.

Ruben interrupted his thoughts cautiously "Lelouch."

He looked up and spotted Ruben behind a desk pouring a drink for himself. He suppressed the urge to ask for a drink as well. He was still a minor so he would be denied but he wanted to try drowning his sorrows like he had heard in stories. They all said it didn't really work and only numbed it, but that was all he really needed right now. But he couldn't afford to look weak in front of Ruben now. He needed to finalise some dangerous plans and doing so drunk didn't inspire any confidence.

Lelouch sighed "Did you make contact with the EU as planned?" he asked to jumpstart this pivotal conversation.

Ruben nodded "Indeed I did and so far their response has been favourable provided we can deliver our part."

Lelouch quirked an eyebrow in interest "Really, they just took your word for it."

Ruben grinned "Well they were notably sceptical but I told them of your plan to circumvent the OSI."

Despite what Lelouch thought of most nobles, not every one of them was incompetent. And those competent ones were smart enough to raise the issue of the flight risk the Ashfords now posed. A bandwagon all the other nobles happily jumped on for various reasons. This meant despite essentially pioneering knightmare technology they were ostracized from the scientific community and their security clearances were retracted. Their homes and company offices were also raided for all innovative technology that they could now sell to enemies of the state.

This was just a paper-thin excuse for their competitors to get their hands on Ashford research. But this effectively meant it was impossible for Ruben to get anywhere near a knightmare blueprint and everyone knew it by now.

But they overlooked the fact that Empress Marianne had been the test pilot and a knight of the round because she didn't fulfil her duties after giving birth. Her ceremonial duties had lulled the other nobles into a sense of complacency. They had completely overlooked that Marianne liked to keep tabs on the latest knightmare research herself. Lelouch had quickly copied those documents before anyone thought of it and hid it inside Nunnaly's wheelchair.

The only reason why he had the password to do it in the first place had been thanks to Nunnaly. She had sanctioned several reconnaissance missions to find out their mother's password. Thanks to that, he had managed to spy on her undetected in advance and obtained the password without her knowledge.

"I trust you gave it a more serious sounding spin than some kids playing a game." asked Lelouch in amusement

"Naturally." agreed Ruben with a smirk

Lelouch returned the smirk "When do they expect payment?"

"They are as expected quite anxious to have it as soon as possible, after the show of force Britannia displayed when they invaded Japan."

"Good, that should make them more pliable to my more unreasonable demands." chuckled Lelouch

Ruben sighed "I still think you are being too greedy in trying to get a royalty for every manufactured knightmare frame."

Lelouch shrugged "They won't cough up a large enough lump sum to cover the costs of my future plans. They are politicians they can't justify such a large expense at once, even if it will be cheaper in the end. They need to justify themselves to the public, so they will prefer a small amount in perpetuity rather than its worth over its lifetime."

"True enough but that doesn't mean that they don't know you are screwing them over big time. With the current political landscape, knightmare production will go through the roof and the ones who profit from it will get rich beyond belief thanks to millions of deaths."

"Which is why I want control of it. The political landscape is regressing to ancient times when military power also equated to political power. With free access to knightmare production and refugees to build an army and enough money to fund it, I can gain enough influence to become a dictator in all but name."

Ruben threaded his fingers together "You know, most ten-year old brats don't fantasize about ruling the world."

Lelouch chuckled" I think you're out of touch with your inner child Ruben. Plenty of brats dream of ruling the world, there just aren't many with an actual plan to make it come true. "

"Thank god for that." chuckled Ruben in response no doubt imagining a world run by little brats, chaos would be an understatement.

"Putting all joking aside I need to become a dictator to force through decisions fast enough to counter Britannia. A democracy may be better at a moderate government that serves the people but when hard decisions need to be made, it's infamous for dragging its feet. Once Britannia declares war on them or their allies they will see that my proposals hold a lot of merit, but by then it will be too late and they will be forced to play catch up. "

Ruben quirked an eyebrow "From my observations of the EU that will happen regardless because you can't come into power fast enough to reverse the trend and your stall tactic won't buy you enough time. "

"True, before I hold any measure of power I expect a large part of our African allies will be conquered but I already have an idea to turn that around."

"Oh and what have you come up with to create a miracle."

"Something I came up with while watching the science channel. But it will be most effective if I can place my preparations in Africa beforehand."

Ruben rubbed his chin ad he pondered the problem "The African federation's relation with the EU is a bit strained so they probably won't help each other. They will be a sacrificial piece meant to buy the EU time to build enough knightmares to resist the empire. The African federation knows this so they will be quite open to any suggestions or bribes."

"Bribes?" questioned Lelouch

Ruben shrugged "The African federation is quite famous for being corrupt in the higher levels of society. " Lelouch grimaced in distaste as he caught Ruben's meaning "With the destruction of the nation imminent, it will be easy to find some government officials willing to sanction any project in exchange for a big enough golden parachute to jump ship."

Lelouch thought it over "It will be best to bribe the required officials rather than actually explain to them what we are going to be doing. If word leaks out of my plan to the empire it will be beyond useless, if those tongues are as loose as you say than it would only be a matter of time."

"Indeed, so bribing it is then." agreed Ruben "What is the timetable I'm working with?"

"It won't be anytime soon so there is no need to burn money recklessly. It will take Britannia five years to recover and it will take one maybe two years to lay the groundwork. So start bribing lower ranked officials, so they can be in power in two and a half years. "

"Why not just go for the higher ranked ones now?"

"Because they have a higher price tag and will try to blackmail us in the meantime. They might not know what we will be doing but just knowing it's important to us, will make it valuable enough to sell to the empire."

"They might actually send spies to find out how you like your pancakes in the future." chuckled Ruben

Lelouch smirked "Yes I imagine my blueberry pancakes may suddenly taste a bit more like aconite, if I'm not careful."

"But how will you be certain those lower ranked ones, actually reach the necessary government office."

"The same way as every predecessor of mine was sure. Through a combination of blackmail, public scandal and assassination. "

The colour in Ruben's face drained a bit at that last word" Just character assassination or the wet one as well?"

"Both." said Lelouch resolutely while he stared unflinchingly into Ruben's eyes looking for any backtracking or cold feet.

"I see." Ruben sat back in his chair, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed "You know not so long ago I was planning my retirement by fulfilling a longstanding dream of mine instead of all this plotting."

"Oh what did you dream of?" asked Lelouch intrigued what this eccentric old man could possibly want more than anything else. Knowing a man's heartfelt desire was crucial in predicting them and manipulating them effectively. He hadn't thought Ruben would come right out and say it without any prompting.

"My dream was a school for commoners and nobles alike; it would be affordable for all but still prestigious enough to attract nobles."

"Did you intend to create greater understanding between the social classes?" asked Lelouch impressed with the man's vision. Though small in scale, it was nonetheless ambitious in concept and if it worked, it could set in motion a sentiment that would weaken the ideology propagated by the emperor.

"Very perceptive, yes I wanted to shatter the delusions nobles are under. They are spoon-fed lies since birth, and once they are grown-up most refuse to see the truth. They view everything through their rose-tinted windows and ignore what doesn't fit their vision. By subtly showing them the truth at a young age I thought I could breed out some of their arrogance and ignorance."

"A noble endeavour and I apologize for ruining your dream before you had a chance to even start, but I might give you a consolation prize."

"Oh don't worry it's only an old man's passing fancy but what did you have in mind?'

"A school along the same lines as you imagined but it will cater to social classes lower in status than you had initially envisioned."

"Hmm …I guess I can live with that. And I suppose they would need it even more than those foolish nobles."

Lelouch was unable to give a response when they heard someone knocking on the door.

"Enter." called Ruben

The door opened and revealed a Japanese looking maid standing behind it " Ah Sayako has the doctor finished his examination." Ruben greeted warmly

"He has and is waiting in the hallway to give his report to you himself." Ruben nodded in response and got up and Lelouch followed. They met up with the nervous looking doctor in the hallway. Lelouch wasn't sure how to take his nervousness. It was easily explained away with the current political situation but weren't doctors supposed to be able to fake confidence when needed to. The man's nervous ticks were creating a black pit in his stomach, as his fear for Nunnally's fate increased, now that he could no longer distract himself or put it off.

"So what is the verdict doctor?" asked Ruben who missed how Lelouch flinched at the word verdict.

The doctor glanced at them both quickly before his gaze settled on Ruben "I can't be one hundred percent sure without a full medical check up in a properly staffed and equipped hospital, but the girl is exhibiting symptoms associated with a permanent coma stemming from severe mental trauma."

"Wait are you saying she will never wake up again!" yelled Lelouch in shock

The man looked grim as he spoke "Not just that but there is a good chance she will die in her sleep. Despite popular media depicting people waking up from twenty-year comas, in reality that is only a small minority. Unless she wakes up within the next few weeks there is little chance of her ever waking up."

Lelouch dropped to his knees as he lost the strength to stand. He looked towards the doctor in disbelief waiting for the cruel punch line that it was all just a joke. Something he wouldn't have put past Carine but right now, he would gladly welcome her glee filled sadistic face if it only meant he could wake up from this nightmare.

But the sweet words promising release never came, instead came a flood of medical advice for how to best take care of Nunnaly, that he was in no state to properly process right now. Luckily, it looked like Ruben was on top of it and was asking several questions while he took notes. Well Sayako took notes at his direction but it came down to the same thing.

After the dreadful news had time to sink in Lelouch quietly excused himself to be alone for a while. Sadly, Milly didn't let him and was determined to cheer him up. Though he appreciated her attempts, she annoyed him more than anything else. But he supposed the anger and annoyance he felt due to her antics was still better than the soul crushing dread he felt whenever he thought about Nunnaly.

Lelouch didn't do much of anything as he waited two months for things to settle down and the talks with the EU to finalize. Ruben had been his representative and already had his marching orders, so he didn't need to intervene or even be present. He trusted Ruben and in his current state, he was more likely to screw things up anyways.

In the end, it took some extra bribes, but Lelouch got the royalty he wanted, and free access to the EU. Ruben had even managed to make some friendly relations with some politicians, to give them something to work with in the coming years.

* * *

**Author explanation**

It's long and not necessary to understand the story but might be interesting to some. It's mostly my notes to keep things straight in my own head. They are ordered by subject matter.

**Broadcast**

The public proclamation may seem stupid but it was necessary for the plot. Lelouch isn't trying to hide in obscurity like in cannon but is trying to go to the EU and fight Britannia with them. But he is still a Britannian prince so no one will trust him unless he proves himself. But no one in the EU would give him a chance and he can't bribe his way into acceptance.

He doesn't have the geass power yet, so the only way he could convince them to welcome him is by having the backing of the people. With this public proclamation, he is undeniably against Britannia. He simply did too much damage for a simple Britannian ploy and the people who are anti-Britannia love him for it. And with Britannia's expansionist policy and him stopping said expansion for a few years, he is a hero in his own right. With this he has a support base he can turn into his own army with which to fight Britannia.

But most importantly, he is now too well known and loved by the citizens of the EU for them to trade him in exchange for more favourable conditions in a peace treaty. They would lose a lot of votes if the politicians did that, so to preserve their jobs they won't unless Lelouch screws up publicly.

**Economic crises**

I cut out a lot of the details to prevent it from becoming boring and tripping myself over something that doesn't make sense in hindsight.

For clarification's sake, I'll explain what Lelouch did with the stocks that caused a recession. He used his princely allowance and inheritance from his mother to back a large number of call options. He placed the call price only just above the stock price inciting many nobles to buy them because they assumed they would skyrocket with the invasion of Japan looming just around the corner. When the Ashford's foundation's fall from grace was confirmed and the military contracts rescinded, the stock price plummeted. This meant that no one could collect on the call options but still paid a lot of money for them. This gave Lelouch a large amount of capital, which he could have bribed his way into the EU with. But he didn't want to rely on their mercy, so he crafted a plan to be independent of them for his own survival.

He bought stocks in the index companies and gave orders to sell stock in large quantities periodically that he rescinded every time. When he couldn't during the invasion, they went through and set in motion the freefall by overwhelming the buffer built into the economic system.

**Call option explanation**

A call option is the right to purchase a stock for a fixed price for a limited amount of time. So when the stock price goes above that fixed price you can purchase the stock, turn around, and sell it for a profit. But when the stock price plummets, it makes no sense to buy it at a higher price when no one wants to take it off your hands. The call option is a sellable good where the seller is obligated to sell the stock for the fixed price for the duration of the contract. The value of the call option depends on how much the difference between the stock price and the fixed price will be on the date you exercise it.

The more volatile the stock the more the option is worth because there's a higher chance of the stock price being higher than the fixed price. Because everyone thought the stock was going up because of the war, they paid a premium to buy them from Lelouch.

Call options and their counterpart the put options are basically betting where the stock price will go. Lelouch took advantage of it because as a prince he knew it would plummet in advance and because he is a prince, the emperor won't call him on it because it would taint the image of the royal family.

He basically abused his status as a prince after he disowned himself.

By the way, put options are the right to sell a stock for a fixed price, which are often used as an insurance policy against a stock crashing. In this case, Lelouch bought some put options in advance to sell his mother's stock after he was no longer obligated to sell the stock. This left him with a large profit from the call options and no losses thanks to his put options.

The Ashford's didn't do the same because it is illegal and as disgraced nobles, they would go to jail at best. Lelouch only got away with it because he was a prince, which bought him time before he had to face the music. The emperor would have killed him with some other excuse if he weren't already scheduled to die.

**Rant**

This is his first step to winning the war against Britannia because in my opinion war is about depriving your opponent of his resources. Once you do that, the nation can't function and has no choice but to surrender. But the definition of resources is very broad and can mean people, food equipment, infrastructure etc. But also intangible things like public confidence, morale and patriotic spirit, which affect other resources.

As Zero Lelouch fought a media war to increase his backing of the people while depriving it from the britannians. Which was why euphie's special zone was so devastating. It targeted his most precious resource, the Japanese people's approval. Without it, he couldn't keep going despite having soldiers, guns and money to wage war.

He could have kept on fighting but it would have never snowballed into the united federation of nations. He would achieve tactical victories but not a strategic one. It would force him to go after the most abundant resource Britannia had instead of the scarcest namely its soldiers and equipment. He could never kill enough soldiers in combat to force them to surrender because they could always draft honorary Britannian, if they were desperate. So he always intended to kill the emperor rather than the Britannian people. Not just because mass genocide is wrong but also because it was simply impractical.

For instance, the Nazi's were a minority in Nazi Germany and controlled the majority with force. Over the course of the war, the Nazi's got spread too thin after repeated battles, which took heavy losses on both sides. But the allied forces had more new soldiers to fill the holes while Germany had to abandon some posts because they simply didn't have the manpower to defend it. As soon as they declared war on the Soviet union, they lost because they had to fight on three fronts, the west south and east. Or in other words France, the North African desert and the frozen tundra of the Soviet Union.

They had superior training and equipment but they couldn't produce enough tanks and planes to keep up with the attrition costs and eventually lost. In a nutshell, they got out produced rather than out fought. When the allied forces took Berlin, it was defended by fifteen-year-old boys because they lacked the soldiers.

Basically, Lelouch would be Nazi Germany without public approval and out produced by his enemies though his intellect gives him superior troops. Like Rommel versus Montgomery where Rommel lead brilliant and daring attacks. Montgomery just blocked the channel depriving Rommel of supplies and build up his number of tanks until he could flatten Rommel. It went back and forth a couple of times but Rommel was always outgunned and outmanned. And eventually Montgomery won and crossed into Italy.

Lelouch always had his eye on the future. He knew he could never hold a country without the people backing him. He simply wanted to avoid guerrilla warfare and another coup attempt by taking the position of liberator. In china, Tohdoh and Li xinke got put in charge of crushing the rebels so it got glossed over but the fact that it could e glossed over indicates the success of his ploy to broadcast his conversation with the eunuchs.

Another important reason why I had Britannia have an economic crisis is to slow down the timeline. With less funds, they will delay funding the Research and development department. Charles may view ruling as too mundane but he can't be too arbitrary when the country faces potential ruin or face a rebellion. The reason for this is because Lelouch can't lead the European army when he is still a high school kid. Early twenties maybe but not a teenager. It was allowed in Japan because hiding your identity is more accepted in a terrorist cell and he proved his worth before they trusted him. In Lelouch stays in Britannia fics it is because he is a prince that he can assume command and then has to earn the trust of his men. In Europe, he has to earn the trust of his men before he can assume command.

I have some thoughts on how to make Lelouch his own personal army but he won't be accepted as a commander until he reaches adulthood. He either needs to move up the ranks or make many political moves to gain the ability to form his own army while still being supported by the politicians. Most likely, something along the lines of the W-O unit akito was a part off.

**Ashford defection**

The reason why I had the Ashfords defect was to limit the number of necessary OC creations to make the story in the EU work. For the same reason I opened the door for Jeremiah to join at a later date. It was also necessary for the selling of the knightmare blueprints to actually make sense. Lelouch could have gotten his hands on them without help from the Asfords but they would be blamed for it, if it became public that Lelouch sold them to the EU. Lelouch would know that in advance and he wouldn't have risked their lives like that for his ploy. So the only way for it to make sense was to include them into the defection plot. As stated before they didn't partake in illegal insider trading like Lelouch because they wouldn't get away with it like him. They would have immediately been sent to jail or executed, so they just helped with information gathering and talks with the EU. Nothing really incriminating so they could have backtracked up until Lelouch showed up at their door. And even then, they could have, so it was a leap of faith for Lelouch

**Nunnaly's coma**

I put Nunnaly in a coma because she has always been a stabilizing influence on Lelouch along with Suzaku and the student council. He will never join the original Ashford student council here and he blames Suzaku for Nunnally's coma so he has no one to pull him back from becoming evil.

I also had her kill three men to reinforce the notion that no one is completely innocent in Lelouch's mind. In cannon, he put the Japanese on a pedestal as if they could do no wrong while vilifying the britannians which makes sense since it's a Japanese show. But I don't want him to believe that the black knights can do no wrong.

This is because he was far too forgiving towards his betrayers. Most code geass fics argue he should have trusted his black knights more to prevent betrayal but I argue he should have trusted them less.

Finding out your leader has the power to control your every action has a instant knee-jerk reaction and that is rage no matter how you put it. It's like waking up in the morning and finding out you had sex with a guy because he drugged you. It violates your free will so much, that you'll want to kill the bastard.

And saying I'm going to rape other people but I, wont rape you isn't gonna cut it. Yeah they might forgive him because they hate Britannians with a passion but they will demand to know who he uses it on. When he then tells them he used it to kill general Katase, he is dead. When they find out he used it on Kallen and Viletta regardless of circumstance they will hate him for a while. And Tamaki will rile up the others because he is a populist. He will permanently lose their trust and the black knights will fall apart.

Nunnaly will still drive him but as the saying goes out of sight out of mind. The stark contrast Lelouch faced every time he came home served as a powerful reminder of why he was doing it all. It was his justification and he had to remain true to that to prevent himself from drowning in despair. It calmed him down and put his actions into perspective. If you hang around radical people all the time, you slowly become even more radical. The moderate views of the student council served to remind Lelouch that not all britannians were evil and to keep his restraint.

So I wrote the possibility for him to become more unhinged by not giving him any competing worldviews aside from the cult called the black knights. Not sure if I will follow up on it though.

So that's why I put Nunnaly in a coma. I originally intended for her to die but I found a use for her later on.


	6. Chapter 6 Trading in your life supply

**Arc Two Establishing a Beach Head**

**Benjamin Disraeli ****"**** I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?****"**

**Chapter six Trading in Your Life Supply**

**End of Prologue,**

**Europe, France, Paris**

**Ten years later**

**Meeting of the Council of Forty**

Lelouch stoically stared at the scenery before him. He was thousands of miles away from his place of birth, yet he felt like he had not moved a single step.

"Feels familiar doesn't it Jeremiah."

Jeremiah agreed and then added softly "Dauntingly so."

Politicians mingling with other politicians, casually remarking and joking about the current problems facing the republic. However, they were not particularly interested in solving them for the sake of their constituents, but rather how to exploit them for their own gain.

In other words, it reminded him of home, and he could freely substitute the word politician with noble, and it wouldn't change much. Heck, most politicians were unofficial nobility here, thanks to the voting structure, which necessitated a fat bank account to pay for all the promotional ads.

Money was speech and fair representation was drowned out.

Only those with backing from special interests or rich families could afford to go into politics, because winning the popularity contests was too expensive for normal people.

It was a good thing he had the foresight to twist the politicians' arms enough in advance, to secure enough money to be a force to be reckoned with. If he hadn't, he would have been disregarded here, despite how good his ideas were.

But now that war was finally beginning in earnest, rather than the tepid cold war of the last couple of years, he was finally allowed to move freely.

He listened to the speaker trying to provoke a response from the council "The britannians have boldly gone for our jugular!" He got some muffled chuckles in return for being melodramatic." Oh you think I'm overreacting gentlemen, but you forget over thirty percent of our GDP, is dependent on trade with the Chinese federation.

If they succeed in blocking off trade with not just the African federation, but the Chinese one as well, by blocking the Suez channel. Well, then we might as well surrender now. Because we will be dealing with an economic crisis, at the same time as a war. Even Britannia with all its foolhardiness and arrogance, realized it couldn't do both!"

"Our economy isn't so reliant on passage through the Mediterranean sea that we can't survive without it. We can trade, using the railways through Russia just as easily." countered Bernard Pelletier a representative from France, Bourgogne.

Surprisingly a German from Bremen supported him" Besides they are arrogant and overstepped, their ambitious plan will ground to a halt against the African resistance with or without our help.

They already wizened up and avoided sailing past our fleet at Palermo by landing in Tunisia. Now they have to cross hundreds of miles through the desert with supplies they don't have and won't be able to obtain.

We can block them whenever we wish, because we have naval superiority. If anything, we have Britannia over the barrel. I suggest we discreetly negotiate with them about whether or not we will allow them to continue crossing into our territorial waters." Said Michael Schroder confidently with greed gleaming in his eyes.

He got some slight nods of approval in return.

The Dutch representative Peter de Vries was then given the floor "Might I remind you, that transport by train is far more expensive than by sea. It may be a satisfactory alternative but it will cut deeply into our profit margins."

He had tried to strike directly at their wallets, well portfolios, to get them to snap to their senses. But sadly, everyone took it with a pinch of salt because it was well known that the Netherlands relied on trade heavily, and had the largest port on the continent. If sea trade were cut off, then the Dutch would suffer the most.

"Yes well, I would like to hear from a military perspective." said Bernard Pelletier "I'm still confused why the britannians would choose to invade the North of Africa, which is all desert, while the south is far richer. They could close the Suez channel just as easily from there.

General Juan Ruiz spoke up "The britannians are rushing, because they know their technological advantage is shot. Thanks to the delay caused by prince Lelouch" Here he gave a subtle nod towards where Lelouch was seated, which those in the know would recognize.

"Rather than pussyfooting around, and slowly gaining ground and consolidating it over the course of years. They have chosen to cut us off, from our allies so they can deal with them alone. They know, we will be sending them aid indirectly and thus lengthening the war.

They know that every month they waste, is one more month we have, to build up our forces. They know we are already roughly equal in knightmares and they can't afford to get stuck in quagmire, while we grow stronger. They want to steam roll the Africans, because they still believe they have the strength for it. So long as we stay out of it."

Schroder spoke up "They have been rather stingy haven't they, with their military spending."

Peter de Vries agreed, "I think their frosty relationships with us after our latest debt reduction conference, have made them rather reluctant to buy from our European knightmare companies. " He paused to let the full meaning sink in.

"Maybe we should pardon some of their debts, so they can afford to buy some more knightmares. It'll delay the britannians like general Ruiz recommended. We can just ship them through the Middle Eastern Federation if the Mediterranean becomes unstable"

Pelletier nodded "Thankfully the Middle Eastern Federation still hates the empire more than us, so it should be doable. But which country should write of their loans, if I remember right the Netherlands owns a sizeable amount of micro credit loans, but no loans to the state." making a subtle accusation that the Netherlands were trying to force the other members to shoulder the debt while they skimped on it.

Peter de Vries looked slightly uncomfortable. "Well yes, we believe micro credit is better at improving the economy, trickle down effect you see. We would off course be willing to pardon our loans but they're a rather small slice of the pie, so maybe Germany will be better at making a dent in it."

Michael Schroder did not look amused "I off course would need to confer with our treasury department and poll the willingness of the people to accept the burden of Africa. I suggest we discuss it at our next meeting after we check some facts" deferred Schroder because he didn't have the same stake.

A unanimous agreement was soon found and the debt pardoning was set on the agenda for next week or maybe next month if they ran out of time.

And on it went, this meeting that was supposedly called, to discuss how to best deal with the situation. However, he preferred to call it 'how to best prolong the situation for as long as possible while we play both sides'.

He sneered down at them from his balcony seat as he wondered how they played so easily into Schneizel's hand. Their obsession with money was going to be the death of the EU.

So far, they had agreed to blackmail the britannians and pardon debts to the state, so Africa could purchase knightmares from companies they held shares in.

He even wondered if they were planning to short stocks relating to the sea trade. It would certainly explain their apathy in trying to save it, or maybe they held a stake in the Russian railways. He would have to ask Ruben to do some digging for him.

"Would you like some tea sir?" asked Jeremiah

Lelouch nodded and Jeremiah turned to instruct Sayako to fetch them some tea while they remained seated and watched over the proceedings. Jeremiah didn't trust any maid other than Sayako not to poison him. If she wasn't available, he would do it himself.

"So do you think the council will send an army to reinforce the battered remains of the 75th regiment?" asked Jeremiah conversationally

Lelouch sighed, "Britannia hasn't blocked the Suez channel yet, so their business interests aren't endangered, which would make that a no Jeremiah."

"We could make an appeal ourselves to send troops to protect our access to the _African markets_." suggested Jeremiah hinting at the many mines scattered across the continent.

"North Africa doesn't have any mines except for phosphate, they are more known for their oil which is an outdated source of energy. No the North of Africa doesn't have any significance economically speaking and the mines from western and southern Africa can be reached through ship until Britannia reaches the next stage of their plan.

It simply doesn't have enough economic power to make sending an army worthwhile. They fear bringing war to European shores more, than losing trade deals. " countered Lelouch after thinking over the merits of his proposal.

"Then how do you intend to goad them into acting? "Wondered Jeremiah aloud and then warned, "The preparations are in place as instructed and should withstand discovery for some time but it will be found out eventually."

"Indeed, as soon as the dust settles, and they start interrogating former government officials. They will discover the bread crumbs leading to our trap." agreed Lelouch casually

He watched as a speaker openly asked the member state representatives to volunteer to provide the troops necessary to expel the britannians from African soil. None of the member state representatives raised their hands, because none wanted to explain to their constituents why they sent their fathers, brothers and sons off to their deaths.

They still suffered from a severe case of 'it's not my problem so why should I pay for it'. Unless they united their armies under one banner and faced the reality of unavoidable casualties, this aversion would give all of Europe to Schneizel with barely a fight.

Lelouch then answered Jeremiah's first question. "It's simple we don't."

"Huh, I'm afraid I don't follow my lord."

Lelouch sighed in exasperation "How many times must I tell you not to address me with a noble honorific Jeremiah. "

Jeremiah flinched slightly at the reprimand "I apologize sir."

It seemed he simply couldn't let go of addressing him as a prince despite having years to learn. It didn't really matter to Lelouch personally, but he loathed giving away any valuable information to casual eavesdroppers.

"No matter, as I was saying, we won't include the EU because they are too sluggish to act. Instead, we will use our personal force to defeat the Britannian army."

Jeremiah paled "With all due respect sir, there is no way those refugees you bound to your cause, will be enough to defeat them in open combat."

Lelouch sighed again, but this time in annoyance "If everything goes to plan, then there will be no need to Jeremiah."

"I'll admit the plan is good, but there is no plan that survives contact with the enemy sir." Jeremiah reprimanded gently but firmly.

Lelouch shrugged "We'll see." He got up and made ready to leave "I've seen all I needed to here, anymore time spent here will be a waste of time." He gestured at the gathering of politicians below them who had started a repetitive cycle in their rhetoric

"Sayako I trust you to acquire a copy of the minutes of the rest of the meeting, so I can peruse it at a later date at my leisure." He would go over the notes just in case he missed something new or to analyze the current power structure.

Sometimes just noticing someone always shutting up whenever someone else tried to speak would tell you a lot about their power relationship. However, more importantly, the person feeling forced to shut up would undoubtedly feel some resentment and that could be a valuable opening if Lelouch needed to manipulate him.

However, something subtle like that was hard to see unless you took diligent notes and studied them excessively while taking into consideration how much he cared about the topics discussed.

It basically came down to educated guesses, but some guidelines were still better than walking into high stakes negotiations blind.

"Very well master Lelouch." Sayako responded with a bow

Jeremiah followed in his lord's wake "Where are we headed now?"

Lelouch grinned "I'm going to the Ashford University."

Jeremiah grimaced at that.

"Oh come on Jeremiah, they aren't that bad." said Lelouch while stifling a chuckle at Jeremiah's expression.

Though he didn't blame him because it had to be extremely boring for a grown man to be stuck inside a high school filled with hormonal teenagers as a gym teacher, and now as a janitor among hormonal college students. Lelouch personally didn't mind that much because he saw it as an extension of his work.

"I just don't see why you have to waste your time with those plebeians. You could teach half the courses you are following better than the teachers themselves."

Grumbled Jeremiah openly

Lelouch raised an eyebrow; Jeremiah didn't usually criticize how he spent his time. Whether it was gambling for a cheap thrill or wooing some girl for a night of fun.

"People need to feel connected to their leaders Jeremiah, but also know they are capable as well. By creating and attending Ashford academy and its associated university, I'm striking several flies with one stone."

"Yes I get the loyalty and brainwashing part, but there is no need to be friends with them, just some speeches would suffice."

Lelouch shook his head "No that is the wrong kind of power Jeremiah."

"Wrong?" repeated Jeremiah in confusion "Isn't any kind of power good?"

"No there are different types of power and the one you're suggesting has it's foundation in authority. I have power now, because I'm the student vice president and hold the other end of the contract they signed, though they don't know it.

But that power is given to me; like a policeman or teacher. Once you remove the role, then you no longer need to obey them. If I want to accomplish my goals, then that kind of power isn't enough. "

Jeremiah still didn't understand "They agreed to serve you for at least four years in exchange for schooling; their obedience is already bought with that. What more could you need?"

"Obedience Jeremiah, not loyalty as you said it yourself. However, that need to obey is primarily to the EU and my legitimacy is derived from the EU. So I can never act against them, if I rely solely on it.

I need other sources of power, but above all else I need charismatic power, they need to love me and follow me to the ends of the earth!" explained Lelouch as he walked to his car.

He continued "As it stands, the only way out of the internment camps for refugees is to take the admittance test for Ashford academy and sign the contract or join the W-O unit and die for your family."

"A choice between life with you or death and imprisonment with the EU huh." summarized Jeremiah.

"Exactly, they know that Europeans look down on them and won't hire them as _numbers_. So instead, they pledge their service for the maximum amount to the Aegis Corporation and by extension me as its sole shareholder."

"Which gives you a steady stream of educated people to work for you, but none of them will lay down their lives for you. They may be grateful for all you have done for them, but they will turn their back on you without a second thought."

Lelouch laughed at that "Off course not, and I never expected them to. I just merely needed a loyal enough workforce, to form the backbone and infrastructure of my future army."

"They're engineers mostly and while they are useful as combat support. They don't make an army by themselves" commented Jeremiah.

"True the other piece of the puzzle belongs to my only competitor in the market for cheap and loyal labor, Miss Leila Malcal."

"Do you intend to recruit her and subvert the W-0 unit through her?" asked Jeremiah.

Lelouch thought it over "Perhaps, but for now I prefer my Letter of Marquee plan. The politicians have already have shown themselves to be morally bankrupt enough to accept it.

When they rubberstamped the W-0 unit plan. "Lelouch scowled for a second "I feared using refugees as cannon fodder in exchange for giving their families a comfortable lifestyle would have gotten me thrown out of the room.

However, Leila Malcal paved the way and has shown me, there is nothing to worry about. So long as I phrase it, in terms of how it would be advantageous politically speaking."

"But the Letter of Marquee allows ordinary citizens to wage war on enemies of the state. How could you possibly spin, letting citizens die on their watch as a good thing?"

"Simple, I will add a sentence clearly allowing refugees to participate as well, allowing them to come to the conclusion that it will affect refugees only. They'll think it will just be a follow up on the W-0 plan to give them more political cover in case the public starts questioning it."

"That won't be enough, the politicians won't risk drawing more attention to it, that easily, without a clear benefit on top." criticized Jeremiah

" Agreed, so I'll need to stir up the citizens into demanding the politicians to do something about Britannia, but that won't happen until open war breaks out with Britannia in earnest. "

"Patriotic spirit combined with desperation huh?" summarized Jeremiah again

"Yes, once Britannia lands on European soil, even the most indifferent citizen will accept whatever measure to keep them at bay. It'll give me the legal excuse I need, to build my own personal army and right under their noses."

"The military will resist your plan heavily, it gives you free range to act outside their chain of command." spoke Jeremiah from experience.

Lelouch shrugged "A hollow promise to submit to their authority will pacify them, until I no longer need them. They fear amateurs messing up their carefully crafted plans by ruining a feint or diversion, or just getting killed by the dozens."

"A valid concern in case other idiots fancy themselves the next Napoleon. Ragtag groups will form and die, without accomplishing anything."

"Not quite, their death will bring home the seriousness of the situation, and by comparison I will look like a beacon of hope among a sea of despair. They will rally to me, without me even making an appeal."

Jeremiah raised another point "If and that's a big if, the politicians don't immediately retract the legislation once they see the casualty reports!"

"I'll just have to give them hope first, so they'll cling to it like a lifeline, despite everything else saying something different. I'll prove that civilians can make a difference on the modern battlefield.

Even if I have to manipulate the outcome, or just lie outright about civilian involvement in an important battle to brush their concerns aside. "

Jeremiah seemed shocked for a second but he regained his composure and just kept on walking. "But you can't be directly associated with it or else they would smell something is off. "He realized "And that's where operation QUICKSAND comes in, it'll easily accomplish that, without leaving any traces of our involvement."

Lelouch nodded at Jeremiah's correct conclusion, got into the car and waited for Jeremiah to start driving.

* * *

**Ashford university, parking lot**

"So Lelouch, you finally decided to grace us with your presence!"  
Milly Ashford loudly welcomed him as soon as he stepped out of car.

"Well Madam President, I do need to keep up my attendance." countered Lelouch with a smile, though he wondered if Milly had ordered campus security to alert her whenever he showed up.

Milly smiled crookedly "That would be more convincing, if you weren't one absence away from repeating the entire year."

That was an exaggeration, he only needed to repeat two courses because they had a mandatory attendance in certain classes. This only emphasized how much he had skipped classes lately.

"All the more reason for me to keep it up." Lelouch countered calmly

"You know, you might want to invest a bit more time in your school going persona." advised Milly. At Lelouch's raised eyebrow, she continued "Gossip travels fast and all these students pass it back to their families and from there it spreads to the other refugees."

"I didn't know I was such a subject of interest for so many people." Lelouch noted dryly, though inwardly he cursed that he was neglecting the part he just lectured Jeremiah about.

Milly scoffed at that "You single-handedly saved their country even if they don't realize it yet and are the only option they have of escaping the internment camps unless they want to die for the EU.

You're already a hero to them whether you like it or not, but your image needs some work. When they finally put the pieces together, they need to go 'Oh that makes sense' and not 'Wait that guy, are you sure? '. You're a larger than life figure for most of these students and you need to fit into their preconceived notions or they might balk."

Lelouch listened intently to her lecture but was getting slightly impatient. "Do you want to give me some free advice Milly? "

Milly got right in his face and mock glared at him "Now who said anything about free mister!"

Lelouch sighed and gave in "Fine I'll increase your spending budget, so you can organize that festival about, what was it again?"

"Sheesh Lelouch you're the vice president you need to know these things. And that's just what I was talking about. People know you as a stoic mysterious guy who can pull a lot of strings. It is enough to get all the girls on campus in a tizzy about who has the right to date you. But it won't inspire them to follow you as a ruler."

"So you're suggesting a word of mouth campaign right here, in Ashford University to rehabilitate my image" clarified Lelouch

"Exactly you need to do some meet and greets. Give people the impression you know them personally, to make them feel connected. And publicly date some girls doesn't matter who, just to show you do have some feelings and aren't a complete robot."

Lelouch suddenly stopped walking and asked " Do people think I'm a robot?" perceived callousness was a sure-fire way to alienate his men and had to be stopped before it took root. If he allowed it to fester now, he may never be able to remove it and it would definitely bite him in the ass later.

Milly shook her head "No they just think you're apathetic and bored, but that is only a stone throw away, from making you into a heartless and ruthless commander, who would sacrifice his soldiers like pawns in droves. "

"But I'm not intending for any of these people to become my soldiers, just my bureaucrats. They don't need to have undying loyalty to me; just enough to stick by me when the going gets tough and my enemies dangle a better offer in their face"

Milly put her arm around Lelouch's shoulders "I know that Lelouch, but you can never have enough loyalty, trust me."

"Fine, I guess you have a point. So how do I remedy the situation?"

Milly got that conspiratorial glint in her eye "Well, I was thinking, you acting out the role of Romeo, in our upcoming play would be a nice start. "

Lelouch gave her a blank look "You just made all that stuff up to get me to agree to sign up for the play didn't you? " He accused

Milly shrugged and proudly admitted, "Yes I did, but just because I made it up doesn't mean it isn't true!"

Lelouch groaned internally in recognition that Milly's mad genius might have actually struck gold, even if it was unintentionally "Yes I suppose you are right."

"So you'll play Romeo." Milly confirmed rather than asked, "Be sure to stop by this week to get your measurements right for your costume." Milly snickered "We wouldn't want your pants to be too tight, now would we."

She walked away before he got another word in, but then he realized there was a kiss scene "Hey wait who is playing Juliet!" He yelled after her

All he got in answer was Milly's insane cackle and something about an auction.

* * *

**Ten minutes later, **

"Sayako did you get a copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Central Hemicycle" asked Lelouch on the phone.

"Good, once you upload them with the others. I want you to disguise yourself as a college student and infiltrate an auction."

"Yes I know that sounds ridiculous but they are auctioning off my lips, so it is important!"

"No you don't need to do that Sayako. I would never force you to do that."

"Even if it is your honor and pleasure as a ninja, I still prefer my lips to be freely given instead of being governed by rules and honor codes. "

"Thank you for your understanding Sayako. Once you are done, I need you to board a plane, disguise yourself as me, and create a few fake sightings of me in Asia. "

A random student yelled "Lelouch lunch break is almost over, hurry up or you're gonna be late!"

"Hold on for a minute Sayako."

"I'm coming; I just need to wrap this up real quick!" Lelouch yelled back to the student and put the phone back to his ear to hear Sayako's response.

"No I won't be going. I'm heading to Africa but I need the emperor of my back for a while. Those assassination attempts get really annoying when I have to focus."

"Yeah I agree if the empire gets word that I'm in hostile territory they'll probably send more than I can chew, which is why I need you to plant a convincing trail."

"No don't meet with anyone important or the empire might send assassins to clean them up. I might need them in the future so restrict yourself to scouting out locations that might be useful as a battleground in the future or places I might need to infiltrate. Nothing incriminating though, just keep it to overly enthusiastic tourism. "

"Yes with some luck the OSI will be so busy crafting contingency plans for all of that, that they won't notice me playing in their own front yard."

"Glad you approve Sayako. Now once you're done, return as discreetly as possible through the Middle Eastern federation. That should shake them of your trail and give them a scapegoat to look into before you re-enter the EU. Once you do, meet up with Ruben and protect him until you receive further orders."

"Goodbye Sayako and good luck."

Lelouch just started walking towards his next class when he heard the second bell. "Well there goes being on time for chemistry. "Chuckled Lelouch

* * *

**Author notes**

**Ashford program**

Lelouch is basically taking advantage of discrimination in a positive way. I firmly believe support personnel are just as valuable if not more so than front line soldiers.

A well run army can be more efficient than a larger one that's poorly managed in terms of food, weapons, ammunition, transport, clothing, shelter, fuel, medical supplies and miscellaneous.

Just imagine hundred thousand soldiers with only a single clip of ammo who are starving, sick, cold and had to walk for miles to get to the battlefield against twenty thousand with unlimited supplies.

Also without proper support you can suffer more casualties off the battlefield than on it. So therefore Lelouch will create a basic backbone and infrastructure for his army first.

The Germans who fought in the Soviet Union had a choice between warm clothing and ammo every time a supply train came. They had attacked in their summer uniforms, meaning they were freezing to death while the Russians had a uniform so resistant to cold, they barely felt it. The Germans had to light a fire underneath their tanks, so the engine would defrost enough for it to start. The roads were unpaved meaning in the summer they were a swamp and they were actually more traversable in the winter. All supply side problems and that's without taking into consideration the scorched earth tactic of the Soviet Union.

So yeah I prefer a small well managed army over a large one that's practically dying without any outside assistance.


	7. Chapter 7 Maneuvering Into Position

**Arc Two, Chapter Seven Maneuvering Into Position**

**North Africa, Tunisia, Sfax**

**Thirty Five kilometers from the front lines with Britannia inside an underground bunker,**

**A week later **

Lelouch browsed over the map detailing the placement of his little surprise as a way to kill time. He already knew the map by heart; he had designed it after all. The real question was if everything still worked like it was supposed to, after all these years of inactivity.

Lelouch posed the question to one of his technical support staff in the command centre. "So are the systems still intact?"

"Yes they are sir. " confirmed a eager employee who had been one of the first to sign up for his 'education program'. "But do you really think this will work?"

" Of course" nodded Lelouch " Every time someone organizes a large group, there will be some chaos and confusion. In war lives hang in the balance, so it only gets increased. Many generals have tried to reduce it by employing standard protocols and double checking everything, but they never eliminated it."

Lelouch saw he had the attention of the whole room now focused on him " Once the battle is joined by the African remnants and the Britannian vanguard. The fog of war will descend upon them yet again, and their generals will be struggling to keep up with events."

He walked up to the wall-size map hanging on the right side of the room to point out key positions for both armies. Despite the anachronism he had insisted on having a actual map in the room. Because nothing beats an actual paper map, when you had to look at the big picture in a fraction of a second.

"The Africans are desperate and likely to use traps and the Britannians are now overconfident and likely to give chase. A perfect cover story for our involvement is already written and the starting conditions are cleared." Lelouch proudly exclaimed to his civilian subordinates, who had never held a gun in their lives.

Let alone some decent military training, but they were loyal and eager to strike a blow on Britannia. But none of them really wanted to risk their own life, so when he offered them a chance to do so from a safe distance away, they all jumped at the chance.

Though he had been annoyed five years ago when Britannia re-conquered Japan, because possession of the Sakuradite mines could be the tipping point in the war. He couldn't argue with all the willing recruits he got from it.

They were also willing to break EU laws with only a little convincing. They never really accepted them to begin with, thanks to the EU's lackluster treatment of them.

In a small part of his brain he secretly just loved it, when everyone crapped all over a oppressed people even more, it made binding them to his cause so easy.

"Commander, sensors are reporting that the britannians are moving up their lines, to engage the Africans!"

Lelouch smiled at the unnecessary announcement as he could watch it on the tactical map himself. But these things needed to be said, so everyone knew they were on the same page. Confusion became infectious when people didn't voice out their actions. So to prevent uncertainty about whether or not something was done or not, they built in a ridiculous amount of redundancy.

Lelouch watched the britannians' first wave probe the African positions and get repulsed easily, because the Africans had the field advantage with their embedded positions.

"Why are they still using the Glasgow despite the fact that they already have a better model designed to fight against other knightmares?" wondered Jeremiah out loud as he observed the African Glasgow variant kill the originals.

" There are probably two reasons for that Jeremiah. First off is their inability to freely interchange parts with the glasgows. They can't custom repair special units during a crucial operation, when they don't provide a overwhelming advantage over their predecessor. The new Sutherlands are good but a skilled pilot can still even the odds between them. "explained Lelouch casually for the benefit of the room rather than Jeremiah because he already knew this.

In fact he had instructed Jeremiah to pitch him this question casually during the opening phases of the operation. It would reassure his men that he knew what he was doing and it would fill in their gaps of knowledge without making them feel like idiots. They would lose some respect for Gottwald, but that was negligible in the grand scheme of things.

"Secondly they are afraid of a repeat of the 'Japan incident'. _Where they believed _Japanese forces captured, reengineered their frames and sold them to the rest of the world before they could press their technological superiority. They lack the logistics to salvage all the wrecks. So they will be forced to abandon Sutherlands if they use them."

And there he put in the seed that he was the one who actually sold the EU the knightmare blueprints by placing some condescension in his voice when he said 'where they believed'.

They wouldn't realize he said it, but a few would start wondering and starting rumors and further build his image. His graduates knew he started the crisis, so selling the blueprints sounded credible enough.

"I see that is quite smart strategically speaking, but the men in the rank and file must be cursing their commander's name." commented Jeremiah

And that put some warm feelings in his subordinates' chests , convincing them that they were appreciated enough, because they were nice and comfy even during a war zone. In fact he might just turn the air conditioning up a notch to drive the point home.

"True and they are about to get more than ample ammunition to do so." chuckled Lelouch darkly

" Indeed, even with their numerical superiority, they seem to be having trouble breaking through their lines."

"it's a problem specific to desert warfare that you wouldn't realize unless you had experience or did the research." shrugged Lelouch "It's called refraction, which means that light gets bend over distances longer than 1500 meters." seeing even Jeremiah was looking a bit lost he decided to explain it in full

" The effect of refraction during the day time causes the target to appear ½ a target downwards and so you need to correct that amount upwards. It's why their shots keep hitting just in front of the Africans, and kicking up more sand cover for them, making it hard for the britannians to adjust by trial and error. It's solved easily enough by taking a position ten meters above intervening terrain but they don't have that luxury with those artillery batteries on top of the biggest sand dunes in the area."

" Wait does that mean they're helpless against the Africans" asked one of the puzzled civilians.

Lelouch shook his head " Far from it, they just need to close within 1500 meters and it's effect will be marginal at best. But right, now they're shooting at ghost targets and even their laser targeting equipment is getting bend."

"Hmm but they don't seem to be charging recklessly to get within range. I don't think they actually realize what the problem is?" observed Jeremiah

Lelouch had been watching the tactical screen as well and had to agree. " My guess is they don't know or they are waiting for cloud cover."

" Cloud cover? " questioned Jeremiah

Lelouch didn't blame him it wasn't a strictly military term but rather a meteorological term." Refraction needs clear skies to work Jeremiah, specifically less than 3/8 cloud cover. So turn on the news and see if any clouds are coming our way"

The highly trained soldier turned on the television in the corner and started flipping through the channels to look for one about the weather. Lelouch could hear him mumbling about something, but it didn't sound like insubordination. If anything he seemed to be ranting about the inflated reputation of the Colchester institute.

Before Jeremiah finally found a weather channel one of the civilians piped up " I found a weather site online. It says there are some clouds coming our way in three hours."

Lelouch thanked the man for his initiative while Jeremiah silently grumbled. " So that points towards them biding their time until the refraction wears off, though it doesn't explain why they moved up their execution time?"

" How thick is that cloud cover Mcavoy?" asked Jeremiah seemingly on to something

" Its long and thin, meaning it will only cover the area for half an hour at most, sir. "

" Hmm so they're getting into position, so they don't miss their narrow window." realized Jeremiah.

Lelouch nodded " They probably realize the reduced speed of knightmares in the desert and are willing to risk some losses for a more advantageous position from which to start their coordinated assault."

" I don't even know why they insisted on knightmares in the first place. Everyone knows that agility is key in the desert. Though the knightmare is king in that regard on paper, in the desert it's another story. Their weight isn't well distributed and as a result they sink into the soft sand, not enough to get completely bogged down but they would have been better off using a tank."

Lelouch shrugged " Blame the nobility's obsession with being armchair generals. They spend more time romanticizing war than actually studying it, so they might not even know that. They just know that the nobility heroically charged into Japan and conquered it with nearly no casualties.

They want a repeat of that, to gain more glory and everyone knows it."

Lelouch frowned "It's the primary reason why the Africans are so unprepared. They didn't think Britannia would use their knightmares in the desert and Britannia already decommissioned their conventional weapons, giving them the illusion they were untouchable."

"Hmm I thought their solution of creating narrow walkways in the desert where the knightmares could use their land spinners was quite inspired." mumbled a civilian operator

"Off course it was, I whispered it into the general's ear when I realized they weren't going to buy more Bamimedes. But those roads built in the desert were more expensive than just coughing up the money for the knightmares. But building infrastructure in the desert to improve the economy sounded more palatable to the people."

" Still, the effect should be similar to the trenches of the great European war. They should be able to hold out for years with little troops, unless Britannia is willing to throw away their troops in a desperate attempt to overwhelm them." countered Jeremiah

Lelouch sighed " You forget the Africans didn't have time yet, to place anti air guns in the whole desert. Nor did I expect them to, with that vast expanse to cover, it would be very cost ineffective. But the end result is that Britannia can easily bypass their line of defense by airdropping units behind their lines. "

"So it's all show and no substance then?"

"Well It could have worked quite well, if they had gotten their act together and emplaced those anti air guns. It would have been a death trap and probably will be one, by the time the britannians reach el Alamein.

But for now the britannians will drop in from behind, destroy their combat support and blow up their fuel depots and water tanks. Once that happens they practically have no choice but to surrender."

" Hmm that tactic sounds a whole lot more effective than I remember learning about, in the military academy" pondered Jeremiah

"That's because traditionally it's done with soldiers not knightmares and they had to go in light and were often engaged by garrisoned troops. They still caused a lot of chaos but lacked the supplies to hold their ground."

"Hmm the same applies to the knightmares with their limited energy supply, but the Africans won't have the capability to destroy the knightmares that deep within their lines with all of their knightmares tied up at the front. "

"Exactly, the Britannians think they will be free to wreak havoc at their supply lines and have the trenches collapse in on itself once they run out of energy."

" Hmm a classic diversion and sneak attack then." summarized Jeremiah

"Correct but the beauty of it for us is that they will be landing on one of our prepared sites and they will go radio silent to prevent the Africans from getting wind of them."

* * *

**Three days before the britannian attack**

**Doctor Ashanti pov**

**Port town Sfax**

" That's going to cost you at least 5000 dinars " said Ashanti dispassionately to the soldier in her office

The soldier gritted his teeth and clenched his fist before he erupted " That's an outrage, I could just rub onions in my eyes and get MEDEVAC that way!"

Ashanti just stared him down, the soldier realized their relative bargaining positions and calmed down a bit.

" The britannians didn't use mustard gas, so anyone with a brain will deny your sick leave. I however can provide you with _official _paperwork that gives you a _legitimate _reason for desertion." She put some extra emphasis on official and legitimate, and let him soak in the full implications, before she continued " And best of all, they can't disclaim my diagnosis without a state of the art hospital."

The soldier fidgeted in his seat a bit, but the reminder that it was this, or desertion would soon make him see things her way.

" Can't you lower the price a bit, that's practically all I have." He bargained.

Ashanti however wasn't moved, by the selfishness of the soldier. Didn't he get, that for every man she helped, it became that much more suspicious.

Never mind the fact that he was asking her, to let him abandon a whole city of a hundred thousand innocent civilians, to the whims of the britannians. The nerve of the man!

" I won't and I won't accept credit either, so don't bother asking. If you can't come up with the money, then we're done here. Please see yourself out."

The man looked agitated and his eyes flicked to his side arm.

Ashanti pretended not to notice while she fingered her own pistol strapped to the underside of her desk. " I said get out, I have other patients waiting from the 75th regiment."

The man seemed startled, probably with the realization that there were half a dozen armed soldiers waiting just outside the door, with a big stake in keeping her alive. After all, how were those healthy young men going to get declared unfit for duty, if not by her?

The soldier excused himself and mumbled something about trying to get the money, but she barely listened to him.

If he didn't have it now then he wouldn't have it in time for the siege. Unless he robbed someone, she doubted he could scrounge it together.

Well if worst came to worst, he would probably shoot himself in the foot or take a bad fall on purpose and get declared the normal way.

* * *

**Former viscount Jack Curtis pov**

Jack threw his phone against the wall while cursing his frugality. He had justified it at the time as being cautious.

After all people got agitated if someone bribed the key officials before they got to know the man. But his penny pinching had screwed him over big time.

The bloody britannians were practically at his doorstep and his friends at the admiralty hadn't even given him a fucking courtesy call.

He spotted his wife lugging another suitcase out of her room, so she could make room to pack another. He refrained from telling her to pack only the essentials.

It would only start another row and he frankly didn't have the time for it. He would just tell her his servants would take them, while keeping quiet about the fact that it would probably end up getting stolen.

Being robbed by his own servants! So much for living like a king!

It was the prince's revenge all over again. No warning! Just a tidal wave of anger and resentment, just this time not from the commoners and the royal family.

No he had the _luck_, it was just the emperor and his fucking army. He would have preferred the unruly mob any day, if the alternative was trained soldiers.

" Calm yourself Jack, and take inventory of the situation and then calmly decide the best course of action." said Jack to himself to calm himself down.

The words his father used to say to him, when he was but a mere boy still worked to this day. Albeit with a somewhat diminished effect, without his father's calm soothing voice.

Okay, he was wanted for charges of treason and was persona non grata with his former friends. His assets were scattered over several banks but mostly in Europe.

His attempt to carve out a little fiefdom for himself through bribery had failed, mostly because there were larger fish in the pond, with deeper pockets.

He had already decided to cut his losses but he probably couldn't get out of town in time. Which meant he had to hide somewhere and escape once the dust settled.

Okay that meant bribes for the port authority to arrange a ship for him later and some normal family who could hide him in their basement or something.

His mansion was too conspicuous and would draw any looters like moths to a flame.

But if this family knew his identity then they could leverage it against him. He didn't relish getting blackmailed by peasants. So he had to pretend to be a peasant for a while.

His wife was going to kill him when he had to tell her to wipe coal dust on her face and walk hunchbacked like a old woman. Well, maybe she wouldn't, if he could come up with some convincing story about how they would rape her, because of how ravishing she was.

It would be a bold faced lie but he didn't care. Heck he didn't care when he married her either. All he could see were the pounds, so he didn't mind if she put some on.

He loved money above all else and he had found fellow believers in this little slice of heaven where everything was for sale. But now, those heretics who didn't care about money, but foolish things like: pride, honor, glory and appearances were coming to ruin it, once again.

Maybe he should have bought a private army? Maybe he still could?

* * *

**Village Boy pov**

He shifted the water jug on his back a bit to ease his strained muscles. But he didn't put it down and take a breather, no he kept on walking.

He needed to stockpile supplies for the siege, just like everyone else. If he dallied, then he would become a target for those who already fortified their house.

He grunted with the effort but he couldn't stop. Without this water, he would die as would his family.

There was no telling how long this siege was going to last but relief wasn't coming. The old men in the coffee shop said the fleet was being repaired in Alexandria and thus couldn't escort any supply ships.

The Europeans could, but that might provoke a war with Britannia.

He didn't get how simply guarding merchant ships was allying with the African federation. Or why they even shied away from allying with them, when they had sworn to do so since before he was born.

"Politics!" He cursed under his breath

They were more concerned with doing what looked right than what was right!

If he had been president of the EU, then he would have declared war already and sent his entire army to help out his countrymen. But then again he might be biased, he chuckled to himself.

Though it was hard not to be, as he passed through 'quarter to eight o'clock ' square. He didn't remember the proper name and he doubted anyone except the old guys at the coffee shop knew what it was called before the great European war.

The clock tower had been bombed then by a air strike, and no one bothered to fix it. Lack of funds they said, and he couldn't argue with that, seeing he was starving when he heard it.

But they hadn't bombed it, the Europeans had! When they were caught up in their war, that for some reason had to engulf Africa as well.

"Strategic value!" He spat

There was nothing but sand and rocks for miles around.

And those politicians wondered, how the radical movement was gaining strength in Africa.

* * *

**Italo Calvino: ****'****For many of my contemporaries it had been solely a question of luck which determined what side they should fight on.****'**

* * *

******Three days later**

**Britannia mobile command **

**General Calares pov**

"Transmission coming through sir."

General Calares nodded as he braced himself for the prime minister of the Holy Britannian empire and his greatest detractor.

But the prince appeared on the screen with a warm smile, like he was greeting an old friend.

" Hello general, I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time?"

" Not at all, the fight has yet to start in earnest, just some probing and feints for now." He replied back affably

" Oh good, I worried you might have already taken over the town."

General Calares was confused, was he being recalled, after already engaging the Africans?

That couldn't be, if they retreated now, then the sanctions to pacify the Africans would be just as costly as just continuing the war. He had ruined them, at the strait of Gibraltar, and yet again, when he caught them out in the open desert.

" Sir, are you calling off the invasion?"

Schneizel smiled patronizingly at him " Off course not, you're doing fine so far. No I was just commenting on the rushed nature of this campaign. "

General Calares ignored the smile and just nodded " Well they did catch us with our pants down, if we don't attack now! Then we might as well, never attack."

He referred to the corruption plaguing the build of the defensive works suddenly disappearing. This caused several soft targets to turn into hard ones; and the costs in taking them, to increase dramatically.

Schneizel returned his nod " I agree, I doubt I could rustle up enough support to send billions of pounds and thousands of men to die in this desert for marginal gains."

As a military man he wouldn't call securing his flank marginal, but he had to agree that he couldn't justify it either.

Nor did General Calares mention, that even this campaign was lacking in the artillery department. Or that he desperately needed more naval forces in the area, to secure his supply line.

Instead he smiled widely and professed his thanks to the prime minister and declared this offensive couldn't have been possible without him.

It wasn't a lie; but the prince had to compromise on some points to push this offensive through; among which was his appointment as commander.

" It's funny how economics is often more vital in determining the victor than individual heroics. Though I suppose one could make the case that these new workers who have speeded up the construction to nearly inhuman levels; are heroes in their own right." mused Schneizel

General Calares gritted his teeth as the prince subtly downplayed his own importance in history. " While our industrial might certainly makes things easier, it doesn't replace the need for courageous men."

" And I never would dare to imply so. I was just reminiscing on the conversation I had with the EU, about the use of their territorial waters. " replied Schneizel and let a silence hang in the air.

General Calares wondered if it was a power play to force him to beg for the prince's wisdom. It would subtly place him in a subordinate role, while he officially didn't have to answer to Schneizel in this campaign.

However General Calares didn't have the time for such petty games, his operational window was coming up any second now and if he missed it, than he could be stuck for months waiting for another one. " What did they say?"

" They agreed, to let certain ships slip through their unofficial naval blockade. Off course, they won't openly admit that they are threatening to block us; or even that their fleet is present in the Mediterranean to begin with. "

It made some sense guessed general Calares.

If no one knew that the European fleet was there, then no one would feel the need to complain why they weren't stopping Britannian supply ships

"How much are the Europeans demanding for the privilege? "

"Only a arm and a leg, but it will be well worth it, if this campaign succeeds." the prime minister gave a stern look to general Calares to emphasize the point.

General Calares tugged slightly at his collar before he replied " I'm confident that my plan will succeed prime minister, well that is if I can execute it on time."

Schneizel got the hint and said "I'll leave you to it general, I'll expect to hear from you soon."

The transmission ended and general Calares relaxed in his chair and demanded some water be delivered to him.

" Is the cloud cover in place colonel Fulbright" He asked

"Yes it is general, and I've already ordered the distraction to start on time on your standing orders sir."

General Calares nodded absentmindedly, thanking his foresight to give those orders. If he hadn't; then everything would have run behind schedule, thanks to the chatty prime minister.

However, everything was going to plan and soon his special unit would land behind enemy lines and take up a advantageous position over the trenches and then penetrate the lines even more to destroy their fuel depots and water tanks.

"…"

"…"

"…"

That is if they finally got to work as planned " What's the ETA on those VTOL colonel Fulbright! " yelled general Calares impatiently

" They will be in place in T minus five minutes sir. They had to take a detour to circumvent a unexpected anti airgun emplacement."

Calares scowled fiercely" How did you know about the new anti air gun when they are supposed to be radio silent? " He asked in outrage

The colonel flinched "My apologies sir, but captain Zimmerman felt he had to inform you in case you hadn't already committed to the frontal assault."

"We started the assault twenty minutes ago! How did that idiot think his message would reach us in time?"

Colonel Fulbright hastily explained "The time code on the message is from half an hour ago sir, but it got overlooked by the support staff during the preparation chaos."

General Calares glared at his support staff " Who the hell is responsible for this screw up?" He had specifically asked to be kept up to date on anything relating the airdropped platoon, mostly because his victory depended on them.

No one answered, either too chicken to fess up or they were so incompetent they couldn't remember who was responsible for it.

Luckily colonel Fulbright cleared it up for him "That would be communications officer Ramirez sir."

He remembered that name as a officer from south America. "A filthy number huh, we are generous enough to grant you a high ranking position within the military; after we maintained the peace for many years in the area, and you repay us with your incompetence!" He yelled at him

The officer in question just looked like a deer caught in the headlights and unable to defend himself, well not that general Calares wanted him to.

"Do you have any idea how many Britannian lives are being sacrificed as a diversion right now?" general Calares glared harder at him to prevent him from mentioning they were honorary britannians "I guess you don't care or maybe you have been compromised."

The officer was still tongue tied, but shook his head vigorously to deny the accusation of being a traitor.

"In either case, princess Cornelia has established military protocol that all soldiers must do their duty or die trying, to prevent the military from breaking down during a hostile situation. And of course she recommends the death penalty for traitors, so in either case the protocol is clear on what to do with you!"

The officer gulped in fear" Please have… " that was as far as he got before general Calares executed him with a single shot with his sidearm from up close.

"Let that be a lesson to all of you, that I don't tolerate incompetence from my soldiers." He wiped away some of the blood splatter that landed on him, and returned to his seat.

He knew it was over the top, but he couldn't earn the loyalty of his men through love. They were honorary britannians and hated him by default. This meant he had to control them through fear, or else they would disobey orders or worse actively sabotage him. He couldn't allow that, so he had no choice but to rely on some brutal methods that would only be effective in the short run. But so long as he won this campaign then he didn't care.

He looked at his men and saw that the message had sunk in, when they hastily got back to work. He sighed and wished once more that he could have picked his own subordinates.

If he had free choice then he wouldn't have picked any honorary britannians. But sadly prime minister Schneizel thought it was a good idea to let the numbers participate, to help them feel included. So they didn't resist tax hikes.

Though of course the quiet argument that they couldn't let the numbers outnumber them was also taken into consideration. With the rapid expansion of the empire it would soon become impossible to hold it by pure britannians alone, and a revolt was inevitable. Unless they completely culled the natives into submission and thinned their numbers a bit.

There were different theories on how to best do it and what percentage to aim for. But overall the consensus was the same, they needed to be kept in check.

But the most popular method was still the proposal from the teenage prince Schneizel, that recommended that the conquered people should live in poor living conditions to dissuade them from having any offspring, which would solve the problem by itself within a few decades peacefully.

The current use of sacrificing them in a suicide offensive was from the more radical wing. He didn't object to the logic, but resented the smudge on his honor those high casualty numbers would be on his service record.

So he was hoping those elite pure-blooded Britannians he sent to air drop behind the western sand dune would get to work soon, to save his reputation.

If it went according to plan he could spin it to his advantage, saying how he sent in a elite team of britannians to almost single-handedly defeat the Africans in a daring offensive.

He would gain favor with his pureblood friends and the moderates wouldn't resist showering him in praise as well. They would grumble a bit about how their side objective got ruined but would be pleased with the good press.

Overall everyone wins, even the honorary britannians. That is if those elite britannians actually got to work.

"Colonel Fulbright shouldn't they have started by now?" He asked again

"Yes sir, I've been keeping a look out, but so far nothing sir."

General Calares grumbled quietly to himself. His plan was good and if it succeeded, he would distinguish himself enough to get on the wait list for a viceroy-ship, Who only had to answer to the emperor himself.

He wouldn't make the short list just yet, but this and some other distinguishable service or bribes elsewhere. Would catapult him into pole position for the next vacancy.

That is if they showed up" How long ago were they supposed to arrive colonel Fulbright ?"

" They were due ten minutes ago sir."

"Hmm that is within operational limits, but try finding out if the Africans may have ambushed them."

He knew air drops were risky but the risk should be low in their state of the art knightmares. He had reserved the few Sutherlands he had for them, to ensure they wouldn't be held up by any glasgows.

And the enemy pilots shouldn't have been able to level the playing field, because they were all aces. Every single one of them scored in the seventies and eighties in the simulator. Any higher than that and they would become eligible for the rounds.

They should have wiped away any and all resistance, once they got on those hardened roads those Africans made. Sure dodging wasn't easy and chokepoints were there in abundance. But those defenses were built facing the other way. When attacked from the rear they were designed to be vulnerable, to make any operation to recapture them easier.

A sound tactic when you expected to give up ground to buy time, but not so much when your enemy could outflank you. It would have been a veritable killing zone if those anti air guns were all in place but for now there were enough gaps to exploit.

It was a classic case of trying to come up with a perfect plan and having it all unravel by a flaw in it, because you couldn't get all the pieces in place on time.

"Sir, its been twenty minutes since they were supposed to begin the operation. And I just got word from our Intel division that the Africans haven't suffered any losses yet from behind. "

" Does that mean they knew about our sneak attack beforehand and laid a trap for us?" asked general Calares trying to make sense of it. Some of his numbers betraying him and supplying the enemy with Intel was the only thing that made sense.

" Its possible sir, we haven't gotten confirmation if they did. But if so, they most likely kept it close to the vest and sent in a special forces team to plant landmines or something."

" Try hailing them, we need to figure this out before it is too late."

" At once sir!" saluted the colonel

Calares waited tensely as he listened to the radio static and futile attempts from his men.

"What about their IFF signals." questioned Calares next

" We can't receive it from this far out sir. Unless we make a concerted push here." the colonel pointed at the map on the wall " Then we can't boost the signal enough to even know if they are alive."

General Calares mulled it over, he was loathed to lose more men in a foolhardy attempt to overtake the defenders. But he needed to win here to fulfill his plans and those elite britannians were nobles meaning he would gain a lot of enemies if he didn't at least try to rescue them.

"Advance the right flank to pressure them in a feint. Once they take it and shift their forces there, we will make a push on the left to break through and link up with them. " commanded general Calares

"At once sir!" saluted the colonel and started relaying his orders. Not once did he mention that those orders would sentence hundreds of men to their deaths, to save a few dozen aristocrats.

* * *

**Author notes**

I had a lot of trouble deciding which port city to pick though most of you wouldn't care. There aren't that many natural ports on the north African coast making them very valuable. A town of only five thousand can effectively control a thousand miles. In the end I went with Sfax because it has some history as being used as a supply point for the Nazis and it's in Tunisia. At first I thought about one closer to the Suez channel but it didn't make sense if Lelouch ignored Britannia for so long.

The next chapter will be the actual battle. So do you want it all at once or split up into two chapters?


	8. Chapter 8 Free Interpretation of Orders

**Half hour ago**

**Britannian battalion attacking the port town Sfax **

**Lt colonel Gabriele D****'****Annunzio pov**

Gabriele cursed his ancestors once more for trying to immigrate to the new world in search of the promised land. If anything they left it, or what was to become it, in exchange for more slavery.

If he knew where they were buried, he might consider pissing on their graves to relieve his stress. And right now he really could use a drink or even a smoke as he listened to the rhythmic beats the enemy artillery played on the loose sands.

They differed in sound depending on the ammunition used, the distance and even the surrounding sand dunes. Though nothing could beat that cheeky bugger who was firing his machine gun to the tune of some song he couldn't put his finger on.

He knew he had heard it before but the title escaped him. It would be just his luck if he died and his last thought would be 'was it by that artist?'.

Colonel Fulbright came marching by in his usual brisk manner looking the very picture of calm, despite the fact that he got showered with sand from stray shells every now and then. This didn't mean they were close though, the wind just liked picking the sand up and throwing it in his face. If he could get away with it, he would throw something as well.

Heck every man in his unit wanted to throw a right hook against his temple or at least a rock at his back, though rocks were in short supply.

"Alright men, the cloud cover is almost right on top of us. You all know what to do, just get in your knightmares and show those inbred bastards the might of the empire!" The colonel paused for an applause that wasn't coming. He glared slightly at them but didn't let it ruin his moment.

" All you have to do is reach those trenches and flush out their knock off knightmares and push inwards towards the artillery position on top of the eastern sand dune. We outnumber them a good five to one, so there is no way we can lose!" He finished confidently, while pushing his chest out so his medals caught the light just right.

Gabriele rolled his eyes at the enthusiasm this man had for a new medal. His father had been a soldier once, and had earned a general service medal, a victory medal and a silver medal. He had admired them when he was a kid, but medals didn't pay the bills and neither could his father.

He had taken those shiny little medals to every pawn shop and second hand shop he could find. The answer he got though was the same, 'Sorry kid we don't sell em cause there is no demand.'

His father had said that you couldn't put a price on valor.

And his father was right because he could sell his broken alarm clock, but not the medals, so it was beyond worthless.

He clapped anyway to show colonel Fulbright he had his back, put on a fake smile and subtly nudged his friend Chavez to follow his lead.

After a slow start the entire unit eventually clapped for the pompous bastard, who was sending them into the jaws of death and described it as a walk in the park.

He gave his own short speech to his men to bolster some confidence, though his had more emphasis on liquor and loose women than honor and glory.

But it was just what the guys needed to take the edge off. They were low born bastards after all, concepts of glory were worth less than dirt to them. No one remembered the common soldier, only the generals.

They got into their glasgows and fired up their interfaces while they waited for their own artillery barrage to begin. It wouldn't take any of the opposing forces out unless by sheer luck, but it would send them scurrying for cover, allowing them to gain some ground unimpeded.

He turned on his mp3 player to listen to some Wagner, the ride of the valkyries always got him in the mood to do something suicidal.

He ordered his men to call in and tried to split off just enough attention away from his musicale reverie to register it.

Once that was done he sounded off the charge but dragged his feet slightly, so that someone else would be in front. The grunts hadn't studied desert warfare but he had, and he knew mines were common in them, especially in defensive positions.

They had to cover over eleven miles to make it to the trenches because they had to stay out of range of the howitzers. But he kept a slow pace and had his units dispersed to keep the dust clouds from blinding his own men.

He listened to his own artillery guns and counted the rounds in his head to get an idea of how long he had left. Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and it was over.

He was on his own now, but he had crossed most of the distance already though the last two miles would be the hardest.

They formed a wedge formation and used their lances to tear apart the barbwire surrounding the ditches. He didn't even know why they bothered with barbwire. A infantry charge was pure suicide nowadays, not that this was any less.

His attention was drawn by the knightmare heads popping out of the ditches and opening up their fact spheres. He looked at the distance on his radar and saw he was still a good 2000 meters away from them but at least he had some cloud cover now.

When he and his men had tested the perimeter, it had seemed like they were impossible to hit like ghosts. Everything would go straight through them or go off course.

Panic had sunk in with the men, they had thought that the enemy had pioneered some kind of stealth device. After all, if you had to fight a invisible enemy in a desert, where there was no cover and nothing but visibility then you might as well shoot yourself in the head.

Luckily the colonel had realized his mistake and explained what refraction meant though some had to dig deep to high school chemistry to follow. But once they did, they all collectively wanted to lynch the bastard for not taking any countermeasures beforehand.

They had been drilled mercilessly with artillery fire before command got their heads out of their asses long enough to actually listen to their ground troops. For some reason they refused to believe them, when they said they couldn't hit their enemy. At least they had popped some smoke back then or it could have been disastrous.

Seventeen hundred meters and closing, he started zigzagging randomly so the artillery wouldn't be able to predict his trajectory. Though some close calls begged to differ.

" Deploy smoke screen" He commanded now that they were within range of the dug in glasgows who seemed to have less trouble hitting them."

Smoke soon covered the entire force though they were still getting peppered left and right by sheer chance.

And fifteen hundred, they were in the clear! " Alright boys weapons free, let's return the favor!" He called out

His troops answered with vindictive cheer though he got hailed on a private channel by captain Chavez " You sure about this lt colonel, we might run light on ammo once we get within effective range."

Gabrielle nodded to the wisdom though Chavez couldn't see it " You have a point, but the men are nervous and letting them squeeze off a few rounds will calm them down. Once we get inside the enemy perimeter, I don't want them freezing or getting sidetracked."

Thousand meters and another round of artillery fire was joined by 25 mm streamers from the glasgows in the trenches. But so far no sign of any landmines which comforted him immensely.

He started giving out rapid fire orders to use any minor sand dune and depression as cover. It slowed down their approach compared to a straight bee line towards the trenches, but even a three foot dune could mean the difference between life and death.

BOOM!

Case in point, the shrapnel from that artillery grenade would have shredded him, if that dune hadn't been in-between them to cushion him from the blast.

500 meters, he did a quick systems check to see if there was any damage. If the joints started malfunctioning, he needed to know now and not when a Glasgow was about to use his stun tonfa on him.

Speaking of which " Men remember their stun tonfas are no match for our lances, so run em through and crush them underfoot!"

200 meters, one last barrage from their own artillery blanketed the first trench line to get them to flinch.

They did, and foolishly ducked their heads back down leaving them free to close the last stretch

He smiled victoriously as he jumped into the air and angled his lance downwards to skewer a African knightmare. The lance went straight through the cockpit and out the chest. The pilot had foolishly crouched and completely exposed his cockpit to both the artillery fire and his lance.

He should have positioned himself against a wall to protect his cockpit and then crouched. But he supposed the inferiority of African doctrine was a good thing.

" Captain Chavez take two companies and clear this route to the second trench and I'll take the rest to clear the other one to the west." He ordered quickly.

It would mean going against orders and leaving the artillery position to the east alone and exposing their backs to them but he needed to wipe out the rest of the glasgows in these trenches before they reformed.

Right now they had shock and awe on their side but once they got their act together these narrow trenches would become a killing field on both sides. 25 MM streamers would be flying both ways and they would get completely bogged down, artillery or no artillery.

He had sent three hundred glasgows with Chavez and was bringing another five hundred to bear on their left flank. As he drove westward and impaled another Glasgow to the wall of the trench, he idly wondered why they even dug a connecting trench.

It was common enough in trench warfare to allow for troop movement, while not exposing themselves to sniper fire, but they also isolated them to prevent a complete breakthrough when they were overrun.

So it begged the question why they had allowed it when they had only dug two trenches deep and wide enough to allow movement for knightmares.

He pulled his knightmare to a stop to observe the battlefield as it was progressing and looked for any hidden ambushes. He ignored the high pitched whiny voice of central command ordering him to explain himself and his new orders.

Instead, he looked at the city walls of the little coastal town they were supposed to take. Though he still didn't quite see why?

After all, what good was the use of a port city for re-supply, when your ships couldn't reach you.

Heck the entire reason why they had landed in Tunisia and were driving through the desert to reach Cairo had been because the Italians and Spaniards had massed their entire fleet at Palermo.

They weren't officially at war with the EU at the moment but prince Schneizel had decided that a naval battle was highly likely, if they tried to sail passed them.

They were after all, in a proxy war with them, if nothing else. The Africans had pulled their fleet back to Alexandria after the loss at the strait of Gibraltar. But they still had enough strength to block their supply lines, if the EU decided to be opportunistic and sink their fleet in a surprise offensive.

But that didn't matter for now, even if the thing he was risking his life for, was only a hollow prize.

What did matter was why they didn't bother putting artillery on the steeper sand dune to the west. It was so steep, that their knightmares wouldn't be able to climb it and would need to bombard it first to loosen the sand up enough, to even the slope out.

Instead, they put them on the east sand dune, which was gentle enough to be climbed with little trouble, so it had to be a trap right?

BOOM!

His pondering was blown to the back of his mind as he gazed upon the destruction.

The two routes filled to the brim with his soldiers had disappeared in a sandstorm, thanks to planted explosives.

It had to be remote detonated plastic explosives, likely C4. But knowing that, didn't bring back two whole companies or his friend Chavez.

" Chavez are you okay! " He asked over the radio though he knew deep down that he had to be dead. But still he asked to appease his conscience while he tried to form a plan.

Only static answered him along with dozens of his men trying the same thing over the open radio, forgetting to turn to a private one.

But the Africans weren't done yet, no they wanted to give him the answer to his second question. From the side window in his cockpit he could see a squadron of battle tanks emerging on top of western sand dune.

Normally he would have scoffed at the foolish attempt to use obsolete technology to take on a knightmare frame. But those tanks were on top of a sand dune he couldn't climb and were hull down, meaning he couldn't even see them except for their turret.

He couldn't punch through the sand with his assault rifle nor could he kill them by just taking out their main gun. But that was the best he could hope for while they had a kill shot every time they hit one of his men.

The knightmare frame sacrificed a lot of armor for the sake of speed but they were slower in the desert and still trapped inside the trenches.

But if he sounded the retreat now, it would cause chaos among his men and the new knightmares still flooding in and his retreating men would get tangled up in each other.

It would provide a target made in heaven for the gunners inside those battle tanks, no way they could miss.

So that left only the gentle slope to the east and a retreat along the sea there. Yes that was his best bet.

" All men refocus on silencing those artillery batteries and from there we'll bypass the second trench all together and invade the eastern part of the city." He ordered, trying to sound more confident and unfazed than he felt.

He had to stay upbeat and positive or the men would fall apart, though he allowed a sniffle to pass through his control to let them know he wasn't a heartless bastard.

Yeah that's why he was crying, just reassuring the men and that's that. He wiped away some tears so they didn't screw up his vision and drove back to the east, tracing the way he came in case there were landmines on the spots he didn't step.

The battle tanks were raining down abuse and were taking out his friends left and right. By his guess he had lost another company just to those heartless bastards.

He didn't stop and try to save anyone of them though, because there was nothing he could do. Seven hundred guns were firing on them with impunity and the only thing they could do was get out of their range.

" Lt colonel some of our men who made it to the second trench are still alive. A full platoon's worth sir. They're trapped but holding out for now but no telling for how long!"

Gabrielle cursed despite the fact that it was good news because he was now obligated to try to rescue them and sent even more men to their death in the attempt.

" Order them to make their way east to the best of their ability." He ordered anyway on the off chance that they might be able to link back up.

He received an acknowledgment and he looked at the eastern sand dune with those damnable guns still playing their song.

By the time he got there his men were already scaling it and locked in a battle with the few glasgows tasked to defend the artillery but they were no match for them.

He dispatched them easily and ordered his men not to destroy the guns if they could help it, only the personnel.

He had a fun little idea about how he could use them to rain down fire on their own city from here. And the best part would be that it would force those tanks to come down from their perch to stop them. And once they were out in the open he and his men could slaughter them, as usual.

However, he heard the dreaded words every soldier feared over the radio, _court martial_. Unless he followed orders exactly from now on then no amount of excuses would save his life


	9. 9 Playing Jenga with Lives at stake

**Tunisian port town Sfax**

**Military headquarters **

**General Dunsimi pov**

" We can't hold out for much longer!" analyzed Khalid, one of his staff officers grimly "They are hammering our entire line and now they have focused their men on our left flank out of range of our tanks. If this keeps up, they'll break through and surround us. Or worse, drive directly into the city and use the civilians as meat shields. "

" Send in all the knightmares we can spare, to reinforce the left flank." commanded general Dunsimi quickly. Though he felt a slight pang of worry about another assault on his right flank. If it happened then the majority of his knightmares would be crowded in the center which would spell disaster. Without the guard force for the tanks, they would be cannon fodder. But he couldn't let his left flank collapse either.

He tried to bolster his men and himself in the process "We may not be able to hold on much longer but neither can they. I've received word from central command that the fleet that was being repaired is sailing to reinforce us here. Once they get within range they will bombard the eastern dune until there is nothing left of those Britannian bastards."

lied general Dunsimi to encourage his men. No one was coming, except for maybe more Brit bastards, but he needed to keep morale up, to keep his men fighting. If that meant lying through his teeth then so be it.

" That may be true general, but how long before they get here? " asked Khalid, ever the optimist.

The general sighed dramatically and changed the subject "We have the field advantage here, giving us greater mobility in the sands and fortification. With that we drastically reduced our casualties compared to them. For everyone of us that went down, we took three of them with us!" He gestured emphatically with his arms to drive home the point.

"They sent a full knightmare battalion in here, against only a single company and a squadron of obsolete tanks and we have stained these sands red with their blood!" He slammed the table with his fist for emphasis.

And now to distract them with " Even if we fall, then the next line of defense will hold them, until we get reinforcements from Europe." He said quietly, confident that someone would question Europe's involvement and forget the fleet or just take it for granted.

" I don't think we can expect any reinforcements from Europe sir. Not until the civilians there, start feeling the heat when the britannians start looking their way. Once they do, they will send reinforcements to keep the war off their shores but not until then sir." said colonel Jaramogi morosely

The general chuckled grimly " A accurate statement colonel and one of the greatest flaws of a democratic system inside a federation, where every member still has their own private army. They won't risk losing their own until forced to by the others."

" Which is no different from our own federation, we're here proudly defending our continent from foreign invasion but our south African neighbors won't bother sending us troops to defend our shores. Making excuses, while we die for their sake, saying we need to reach a resolution in our council." Khalid said with contempt

Lieutenant Arogo laughed at that " Hah, they know we lack the voting power to force them into action! And with each passing day our population dwindles and we lose more voting power!"

"True with our current situation, we are powerless to help ourselves and our allies won't " agreed Khalid morosely

General Dunsimi sighed again " At this point i would swear allegiance to just about anybody, if it meant they would rescue our country from Britannia. I don't relish the fate of being a slave, especially In the middle of a war zone when the EU finally gets it's act together."

"General! the britiannians have broken through on the left flank and are headed straight for our supply lines! " yelled communications officer Kpodo

"Crap!" swore lieutenant Arago

"How did they manage that, there was no way they could break through there that easily" wondered colonel Jaramogi

Kpodo shook his head while still keeping his eyes firmly peeled to the screen. " They didn't sir, they just ran right past us in a suicide attempt sir!"

"What! but that would cost them three fourths of their remaining army, just attempting that. There would be no way to get any of their troops back alive from such a mad rush." asked a flabbergasted general Dunsimi

"I know sir, but it doesn't change the fact that they did it sir." said Kpodo resolutely and pointed to the screen as if saying 'look for yourself'.

General Dunsimi cursed "Warn our supply lines, to fall back as much as possible to avoid casualties."

He watched the blitzkrieg offensive on his tactical screen. Well that was a bit of a misnomer but essentially accurate. Though it missed the overwhelming air support and tanks bulldozing their way through.

The knightmares would have replaced the tanks quite nicely and they did achieve surprise. But the penetrative strength coupled with surprise to overwhelm the defensive lines was missing.

Rather than piercing through their lines and attacking them from behind, it seemed they were more focused on something else.

"Any idea what they are after other than perhaps our water and fuel supplies." If they managed to blow those up they would be dead in the water within a few days. The operation might make some sense if they did that.

" No sir."

"… "

" Sir this just came in from the Intel division. They picked up some relayed orders from the britannians and apparently they are performing a rescue effort for a stranded platoon which got stuck behind our lines" said colonel Jaramogi

" What? Are they seriously risking over three hundred men for a platoon?" asked the general in confusion

The colonel nodded "I know sir, but apparently they sent in a special unit from the west meant to flank us from behind."

General Dunsimi looked at the tactical map " So that was their aim all along." He mused. if the tactic had worked. They would have decimated their tank support and could have fired down on the trenches with near impunity.

"Any word on how they might have been defeated?" asked lieutenant Arogo

"No sir, from the chatter we picked up, they are trying to push forward to be able to receive their IFF signal" said communications officer Kpodo

" They must not have realized that the transmission range of radios degrades due to the environment." realized general Dunsimi and then wondered "So they're trying to establish a relay point, but why bother now?"

" They are most likely high nobles, thus forcing the commander to rescue them. I've received reports that his rank and file consists mostly of honorary britannians. So they were a sacrificial diversion for the real attack." grumbled colonel Jaramogi

" What should we do sir, retreat to protect our supply line or whittle down the enemy as they pass our positions?" asked Khalid

" We hold our ground lieutenant! The very fact that the hidden force hasn't done anything yet, means they are either stuck somewhere due to mechanical breakdown, or they got ambushed by the locals."

"Locals sir?" asked lieutenant Arogo

" There are still some Berbers living a nomadic existence around here. I heard someone high up in the EU decided to give them some free grenade launchers."

" So you think they ambushed the britannians?" asked colonel Jaramogi

General Dunsimi chuckled "Yes, they probably underestimated them, because they were on horseback."

"Horses sir? The elite Britannian team got taken down, by guys on horses sir" checked lieutenant Arago

"Indeed they did lieutenant." chuckled general Dunsimi " Those moving in the desert are at a disadvantage to those standing still. If the Berbers just dug in and waited to blast them with the grenade launchers, then even their factspheres wouldn't find them."

"Just wait till I tell all the guys back home, they wont believe this!" laughed another officer on loan from another member of the African federation.

" Stay focused men, we are going to make those britannians bleed for every meter they cross. After that, we will fall back to the city wall to protect ourselves, and the city from stragglers, before we launch a renewed assault to finish them off. "

"Yes sir!" They all shouted in unison

* * *

**Special forces that were airdropped on top of the steep western hill right behind the tanks**

**Captain Zimmerman **

He cursed as he tried to raise HQ on the radio for the sixth time but still no luck. Well he wasn't expecting any but it was better than giving up. He was stuck out here in the middle of nowhere cut off from the rest of the army and even his own platoon. He still didn't have a clue what exactly happened, but one moment he was getting into place to ambush the Africans from behind and the next the ground swallowed him up.

It was like suddenly a sandstorm erupted around him and the ground gave way beneath him. He thought it was an explosive at first, well after he ruled out an act of god.

But it didn't damage his knightmare as far as he could tell. All systems were functioning except for communications, the only problem was that he couldn't move his knightmare an inch. It was trapped under several tons of sand that kept him from communicating with HQ or even confirm his friends were still alive. The wall of sand was even blocking IFF signals as close by as five meters.

He knew for a fact his buddy Frank was right next to him but all he saw on his tactical display was a disturbing emptiness. It was like he was the only one left behind enemy lines.

He knew it wasn't true and his friends were captured the same as him. But the nagging feeling wouldn't leave him alone. The only thing left to do was to sit tight and wait for the enemy to dig them out and ransom them back as POW's.

They were all high ranking nobles, so they should be able to convince them that they could get a high ransom for them. A quick search on the internet would be enough confirmation for his captors. And with the notorious money worship going on in the EU and corruption in Africa, he should be free soon enough.

They only reason why he didn't just take a nap to wait this all out was the slim hope that maybe general Calares would come save him. It was a vain hope but hope nonetheless.

He sighed at the hopelessness of his situation and took another deep breath to calm himself down. And then another when just one didn't work. He didn't get why he was so out of breath.

His eyes suddenly widened with the full realization that he was trapped underground. He hadn't known what that meant until now, but now he understood the full implications.

He was trapped in a airtight box thanks to the fine grained sand and wasn't about to get out anytime soon. This meant he only had the remaining air inside his cockpit to survive on.

He wasn't an expert on how much oxygen there was in a cubic foot of air but he knew he could hold his breath for five minutes max. So he figured If he could map out the size of his lungs compared to how much space there was in his cockpit he might get an estimate.

No wait, he once read it was carbon monoxide poisoning that forced you to take a new breath so he had more than that per lung. He tried mapping it out but only came up with the rough estimate of a few hours tops. Which wasn't particularly useful and now he had nothing to keep his mind busy to keep it from panicking.

He looked to the sides of his cockpit and watched the sand pour into his cockpit. It had slowed down to a trickle but now he wondered how it would effect his air supply.

He remembered the lecture in the knightmare academy that all knightmare cockpits weren't air tight on purpose to give the pilot more situational awareness. Stereos were useful but didn't give you that instant warning when you heard something behind you. Nor did they survive battle conditions very well, when your microphones died from cosmetic damage, it would leave you deaf in a very chaotic environment. Thus as a redundancy they made it not even watertight let alone airtight, to allow sounds through freely.

He remembered that they didn't have to worry about anything coming through the holes because they didn't open directly into the cockpit making it impossible for shrapnel to enter through it.

He had thought it was sheer genius at the time but now he wondered as he watched the sand. He knew it wouldn't fill his cockpit up all the way but still he wondered if the enemy was going to take advantage of it.

He didn't have any real basis for that thought other than idle musings and paranoia induced by imminent death. But he had nothing better to do, while he struggled increasingly with taking a satisfying breath, every passing minute.

He was going to die down here, all alone, with no one to hear him scream. He was being put down like a annoying pest, like those flies he had the maids put out flytraps out for. He didn't even get the courtesy of being swatted like an annoying fly, no he had to suffer the ignominy of that sticky flypaper. It was holding him in place while he slowly choked instead of starved to death.

As a kid he had dreamed of vanquishing the enemies of Britannia and earning honor and glory on the battlefield. But this was how his life ended, in his first battle for the empire, a pathetic death if he ever heard of one.

He eyed his sidearm, it was standard issue for all knightmare pilots in case they had to eject and found themselves behind enemy lines. It wouldn't do much against an entire army but it would serve against the locals. So they could force a ride back to friendly territories. If they could evade capture long enough that is.

But now it looked extremely tempting for another reason. He fingered it for a second thinking it through. Was he really the kind of man that took the coward's way out.

But what other choice did he have? The general wasn't going to find him in time. And his capturers were most likely either too slow to save him as well or they would let him choke on purpose. So they wouldn't have to deal with any possible shoot outs when they excavated them.

He was dead either way, so what did it matter. He drew his gun and held it in front of him and admired the stainless steel, the way it reflected the light of his displays.

Oh wait, that was another concern. The desert was scorching hot during the day but underneath the first few layers of sand lay cool sand underneath. He could feel it, if he just grabbed the grains to his side. But that also meant that as soon as the power ran out he was going to freeze in his cockpit.

Well most likely he wasn't going to make it to nightfall when temperatures plummeted but the sentiment stood. The longer he stayed alive the more painful it was going to be and he was going to die anyway. He might as well choose the method himself.

Yes he was going to do it himself. Hmm now that he made the decision, it felt kind of empowering in this otherwise hopeless situation.

He carefully lined up the shot making sure he would hit his brain. He had heard horror stories, where the suicide attempter missed the brain on the first attempt, and suffered through the pain before they succeeded. Some were unlucky enough to be too weak to try again and had to slowly bleed out before they could die.

He wished they gave a class about the best way to commit suicide at the military academy. Well that idea wouldn't be very popular with the brass or the young and eager students wanting to make a name for themselves. But now that he had to make the decision to shoot himself in the head or the heart. He really wished he had some pointers.

He pulled the trigger and mercifully, everything went blank as he passed away.

* * *

**G1 Mobile command fortress **

"General Calares we can't find any sign of the special unit. We have to assume they were destroyed and fall back before we get destroyed sir."

General Calares gritted his teeth at the ignominy he suffered due to the failure of the pureblooded Britannians. He had personally selected for this mission.

He hated doing this, but he had no other choice before his entire army was destroyed. " Order the retreat. We can't overwhelm them like this anymore. We need to regroup and send in another larger airdrop to conquer this city." He ordered reluctantly

Colonel Fulbright let out a sigh of relief before he responded "Yes general."

He watched the disorderly retreat take place on his tactical screen and tried arranging some covering fire to help the men get clear, before they were mowed down.

He had dreamed up a risky plan and rather than reap the rewards as he intended, he had suffered all the losses. Once the men were clear of any pursuit he turned his mind to how he was going to spin this. His superiors would want a explanation for why he failed so disastrously bad. And he wasn't inclined to say, he lost his head and decided to risk all to save some other nobles, despite the points it would score with their families.

Maybe in private he could intimate as much but in public it was political suicide. It went against the ideology of the emperor to risk your life to save the weak. And all those who died, were simply too weak to fend for themselves, making it foolish to waste the effort to save them in the first place.

Speaking of the emperor, what was he going to say when he was summoned to the royal court. He would definitely need to talk up his enemies indirectly, by planting some false witness reports or something.

Yes he needed to bribe his Intel division to craft a report saying his opposing general was a unnoticed genius, and had to be earmarked for assassination as soon as possible. If he managed that, he could avoid the humiliation if the general lost pathetically to someone else.

"Any word yet on how we lost the special knightmare platoon." He asked absentmindedly. He didn't really expect an answer nor did he care right now what became of his peers.

"Yes sir, we intercepted chatter from the Africans that say that the locals armed with grenade launchers took them out. "

"What, are you saying those barbers or something took out my state of the art knightmares, before they could even report a single loss!"

" Well yes sir. We expect the locals hid amongst the sand dunes and launched a ambush with concentrated fire from all sides. According to the chatter they received grenade launchers from the EU."

" God dammnit, I got outplayed by a couple of peasants in the desert." seethed general Calares

"They are nomads to be precise sir, and they know this desert better than anybody else alive." offered colonel Fulbright who only got a fierce glare in return, causing him to shrink back.

One of the communications officers muttered " I thought the knightmares were impervious to grenades."

"They aren't, they are just too fast to hit most of the time thanks to inboard sensors and high agility. But if the enemy infantry can get in close, then knightmares can't dodge in time anymore. And if they aim for the joints, they can easily take down a knightmare" answered general Calares to distract himself.

The colonel added " They were designed to be rapid response units and able to outmaneuver other units to outflank them. But their astonishing success propelled them to the main staple unit rather than a special unit. But the design stayed the same, because if you increased the armor plating enough to withstand grenades, than they wouldn't be fast enough to dodge other high yield ammunition."

"I see. " answered the communications officer uncertainly now that he was suddenly the center of attention.

General Calares continued to keep him from thinking more morose thoughts about how he was going to explain himself back home. "The knightmare frame was a natural product of our military philosophy of fast movement to outflank the enemy being ideal, rather than the European ideal of taking up strong defensive positions and holding them."

"They are static, we are mobile, we are versatile and they specialize. We are pretty much the unstoppable object and they the unmovable object. We contrast on pretty much everything and counterbalance each other for the most part. Today was another example of it. We attacked and they held the line and bled us dry. "general Calares smiled as he just found his explanation for the emperor

"We would have been more even, if this desert didn't take away our mobility. But because that is just the way it is, we can't break through easily because we miss a crucial component of our winning formula."

He let that sink in for a bit for his men as he gauged their reactions. Most of them seemed reassured and at ease now that they thought they just had a bad day and it wasn't really their fault to begin with. Yes he was definitely using this line of reasoning with the emperor but he needed to work it out a bit more"

" Colonel take command I'm going to my room to write up our after action report."

"Yes general Calares sir"

Maybe he could reference some other ancient battles that took place with opposing philosophies and the futility of trying to win when you missed the key component. He would have to consult his library to see if he could scrounge up something.

* * *

**Ten minutes ago **

Gabrielle D'Annunzio was conflicted, on the one hand he had been demoted and removed from the chain of command but that also meant he could deliberately drag his feet even more.

When the order came in, to rescue the platoon that had caused hundreds of his friends deaths by not following orders. He had insulted his commanding officer by questioning his pedigree.

The lt. General hadn't taken kindly to the suggestion that his ineptness lied with the fact that his mother had slept with every number she could get her hands on, because his father was impotent.

It insulted him in three different ways in just one sentence so Gabrielle had been quite smug about it while he heard him bluster. Sure he was definitely facing court martial now, but he wouldn't have sentenced everyone to die to save slackers anyways.

Instead that decision was given to Estevez a uppity little captain he had never liked. He had somehow survived the tank barrage and was now eager for more. Which spoke volumes about his intelligence or his lack of it.

Regardless of that, they had no choice but to follow colonel Estevez now, to link up with the stranded platoon in the centre and push through to find the missing platoon in the west.

He still wasn't sure how they were supposed to climb the slopes until he saw the bombardment off it on his screen. It seemed Estevez wasn't born without a brain after all.

He reversed his direction to avoid the strafing fire off one of the glasgows in the secondary trench to his left.

" What the hell do you think your doing D'Annunzio! Get back here and stay in formation." commanded the freshly promoted colonel

Gabrielle grumbled under his breath " Doesn't that fool realize that evasive maneuvers are key to surviving! If he keeps this up, there won't be anyone to actually save the nobles and solidify his promotion."

He laid down some suppressive fire and placed himself closer to the centre of the formation, so he could use his friends as meat shields. Well that was a harsh way to put it, but that's what it came down to. Only the shield was thinning rapidly thanks to the tank fire coming from the front.

The slope had flattened a bit and the first platoon made some decent progress on it before another salvo tore them to shreds. But Estevez wasn't bothered " Use your slash harkens to pull yourselves up. Anchor them into the debris!"

Great! They were sacrificing and cannibalizing their men on purpose now. But despite his mutterings, he too anchored himself to a fallen Glasgow and pulled himself closer to the tanks. He rationalized it, to himself by saying they were dead anyway and would want him to take revenge for them.

He blinked, did he see that right. Yeah he was and Estevez was going to walk right into it.

The tanks had withdrawn to prevent a melee battle and judging from their turrets before they disappeared from view they were opening up the centre. In other words they were hoping, we will charge straight through the centre and get broadsided on both flanks.

Which was highly possible with their mission statement being just to link up with the nobles and get out again. And sadly he was right and he got forced to run the gauntlet.

" Colonel Estevez we will all die! If we don't turn back now." He said over a private channel to prevent panic turning into mass chaos. Though maybe he should ,to cause a rout, maybe that would save some of his men. And he could perhaps beat the instigation charges, if he made it sound accidental.

" Stop being such a pussy D'Annunzio or I'll shoot you myself! These are just tanks, we'll mop them up after we find the nobles."

They drove straight past the tanks despite losing over half of their men to them, so much for obsolete. But eventually they reached the landing point for the nobles but they weren't there. Not even a wreck was in sight, so where the bloody hell had they gone?

Did they flee the battle or did they try a alternative route?

" Find them!" commanded Estevez to no in in particular

" We can't search for them while under fire colonel." He entreated but when he was greeted with nothing but static he exploded " Use you goddamn head!"

Whatever response he might have gotten was lost on him because he got hit in the shoulder by a tank. His entire frame did a half turn from the force of the blow before falling to the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut.

He did a diagnostics test and it reported back critical system failure in the central processing unit. Well it didn't, he just inferred that from the black screen.

So with the computer fried, he immediately reached for the manual ejection system, but nothing happened.

He supposed he would be getting a annoying pop up alert, saying his ejection system was jammed, right about now. if he had a computer in the first place, that is.

He sighed and resigned himself to his fate. He listened to the rhythmic beats of cannon fire along with the artillery who had joined the party at some point.

He thought the creaking of bent metal added a nice touch, but it was a bit too much. He really could do with less creaking, though he would be happy to see that bastard Estevez creak and general Calares with him.

But he didn't need to worry about that, they would undoubtedly be executed for incompetence. Instead he turned the volume of his Wagner up and then it hit him.

The song it wasn't any kind of modern rubbish but a classic like his 'Ride of the valkyries'. It was Beethoven's fifth symphony though a bit butchered because there was a limit to how many sounds you could play with a machine gun.

Though he had to salute his killers for their artistic genius, even in the bleak and dreary world of war. It brought a smile to his face, despite the dried tears shed for Chavez.

He was already looking forward to his friend making fun of his obsession with music, in heaven or hell as the case may be.

BOOM!

* * *

**Underground bunker**

**Thirty five kilometers away from the siege on Sfax**

Lelouch was trying his very best to keep the maniacal laughter from erupting from his throat but the overwhelming victory he had engineered was almost too much to resist.

"That went better than expected. "commented Jeremiah as he smiled at the tactical screen.

" Indeed everything went to plan, even the decoy scheme was bought hook line and sinker."

" How'd you even convince that general that the Berbers had grenade launchers?" asked Jeremiah

"Simple I ordered Sayako to bring them a shipment disguised as one of the EU generals. So as far as they know, it is the truth and the EU denying it, will be seen as standard protocol."

"Why would they deny it. wouldn't they want to take credit for turning a crushing defeat around to a decisive victory " asked Jeremiah

"Because they want to contain the war to the African continent. So they won't take credit to avoid earning the ire of Britannia but also to avoid their assassination attempts."

"Assassination attempts for those fools. "scoffed Jeremiah

" Well they may be greedy but it doesn't mean their survival instincts are bad. If they say nothing the trail ends with the Berbers, so the OSI will focus on them. But they are notoriously difficult to find in the desert, especially if they don't want to be found. And even if they do and they deny it, it will also sound like standard procedure."

"So no one will believe the denials and just believe whatever they want." summarized Jeremiah

" Correct, I think there was a scientific term for this but I forgot. Hmm I think it will come to me in a moment. Anyways with this it will be convincing that ordinary citizens can make a difference against knightmares. And with the proper media campaign even popular with the common citizen."

" Hmm I get it, a campaign based on the right to defend yourself or something along those lines. But is It actually possible? I know a grenade launcher can damage knightmares but getting in close isn't easy."

"it won't work in the open like a desert, "Lelouch added with a chuckle " Unless you're a Berber. But normal citizens will be very effective in guerrilla warfare when knightmares try to take over cities."

"Won't they just try to bomb the cities to flush them out." countered Jeremiah

"They will, but despite that, a large city can hold out for months during a sustained assault against a large force. So long as they can make them bleed for every city block they take. They can buy time and motivation for the EU to get its act together when Britannia finally lands on European soil."

"It still sounds counterproductive to wait for our side to lose, before we try to win."

"I know, but you're familiar with the concept of lulling you opponent into a false sense of security right? "

"Off course, it's a basic tactic but rarely done right."

"Well the Europeans are in a false sense of security, I need them rudely awoken from, and the britannians need to be put in one. But I can't have them sustain too many losses or even I won't be able to turn things around."

" So are we going to let the rest of the war in Africa play out as is, so that they will eventually lose? "asked Jeremiah

"No I intend for them to bleed on both sides before I let things escalate. The Europeans will need time to accept their new reality."

"If it comes with the sound of mortar fire they will just go into shock and roll over and die, before I get control over the situation. I also need to drain the bank accounts of Britannia a bit more by wasting their knightmares on the barren sands of Africa."

" I don't see that happening sir, they recovered quickly enough by increasing taxes in numbered areas. I expect they will just do more of the same, if they run into more financial difficulties."

" True but then the civilian unrest is bound to go up and when that happens, it increases the need for garrisoned forces or risk a revolt."

"So we will continue operation QUICKSAND and continue to blame it on the Berbers."

"Yes but make sure the targets are isolated enough that reinforcements can't get to them in a timely fashion. It needs to be plausible that the Berbers had enough time to bury the wrecks or haul them away before they arrive."

"If you fail just wipe them out as well, but exercise caution. We don't need Britannia getting cold feet and withdrawing too soon. Just staying in hostile territory is costing them and agitating the EU to hasten its defenses."

" Will do sir, but does that mean you're leaving me in charge?" asked Jeremiah

"Not for long just to establish a routine. I can't risk staying here for long in case the Africans stumble onto our hidden air cannister installations. I need to be in place to divert them from our shifting fields or everything could fall apart."

"Yes if the empire found out you were submerging their knightmares in the sand, they would be quite furious. "

Lelouch nodded " They invented a special machine to set off landmines back during the great European war. If they figured out we just made a special type of landmine that goes deeper underground it will only be a matter of time before they circumvent it."

" How? Its ten meters below ground and reacts only to something weighing more than five tons. That machine that slammed metal chains on the ground to trigger the explosion will do nothing to our underground pipes from which the air bursts come from. They aren't pressure sensitive but remotely activated. "

"I know Jeremiah, but they might just try to dig em up and block the pipes. If that happens an entire section will be worthless. I build this grid with pipes on purpose so that the air canisters would be attached to pipes to refill them, so that it could be reusable even behind enemy lines."

"If they find it, we will be back to my original idea of air canister mines, but then we won't be the ones to excavate them. Which will make it pointless to plant the air canisters in the first place, if we can't salvage the knightmare or kill the pilot."

"Speaking of which, are we going to dig those captured pilots out?" asked Jeremiah

" No the Africans may have fallen back for now, but they are only regrouping. They will launch an assault to press the advantage soon enough. If we go out there now, we will just be caught in the crossfire and risk exposing our trump card"

* * *

**A week later. **

**Town walls of Sfax **

**Doctor Ashanti pov **

She stared out at the wrecks littering the once pristine sands. They had seemed eternal and ever changing, and this day too would fade. The wrecks would get buried or slowly eroded and no one but a scholar would ever know how many men died that day.

But even they wouldn't know how much blood stained her hands. She had saved many lives by providing emergency surgery but how many had she doomed. She knew that one man in the right place could mean the difference between whether another died or not.

Her pen had taken dozens of grunts and a few knightmare pilots out of the fight. So how many had her pen killed?

Or would they have been slaughtered all the same?

She wasn't a fool, she knew they had been outmatched and only their extensive traps gave them a chance at winning. Heck individual bravery seemed beyond insignificant and only the plans of the generals seemed to matter in the end.

How utterly pointless.

They had died for freedom, duty and for their loved ones. But it wouldn't be long before another force landed with a more competent general. But even if, that didn't happen, it didn't change the fact the sheer economic output of Britannia dwarfed the entire African continent. They could put a child in charge and still emerge victorious, eventually, by sheer attrition.

Her country was doomed no matter what.

Her hand snaked back into her pocket and fingered the letter she had received shortly after the battle. A promise of sanctuary and a life of luxury, provided she delivered her medical services with no questions asked.

She didn't know much about the Aegis corporation other than the fact that they were the sole company in the EU that employed refugees en masse. She had made it a point to learn about them when the invasion happened in her free time.

But she had come up blank other than some bland public statements. Only by bribing a lieutenant with a medical discharge had she gotten some reliable info from the intelligence services.

But even that turned out to be squeaky clean, no lawsuits were filed or outstanding debts. There had even been a few spies working for them but even they reported only the fact that everything was above board and it had a pleasant working environment.

This only made her doubt herself more. Why would a seemingly upstanding company want her to come work for them in a semi legal capacity. The only people who wanted a doctor without a paper trail were involved in organized crime.

So were they really that good? That nobody suspected them or were they just beginning to get their feet wet. Or was it that the lieutenant just didn't have the clearance to get the important documents.

Well it didn't really matter to her. Now that the battle was won, it was only a matter of time before someone looked into all the medical discharges. It would probably take months or even years for people to figure it out. But once they did, she could expect a military tribunal and a hefty prison sentence.

So she had no choice but to escape and make sure any trail was beyond cold, before they bothered to check. She had the means, thanks to her prices but the question had been 'Where to'.

She couldn't stay in Tunisia even if she hadn't forged important documents. Her dark skin and hair and pleasant curves if she said so herself, would only attract unwanted attention in a war zone. She would be turning tricks to scrape enough money together to eat when Britannia eventually won.

Anyone with a brain would get out, before they were chained into poverty and misery. And soon the only ones left, would actually fit the stereotypes the britannians liked labeling them with.

She had already signed up for the Aegis program and had hoped to satisfy them with only a few exams to prove her competency. But a personal invitation from Ruben Ashford was game changing. The old man was a billionaire and a key player in Europe. A simple secretary position with him would hold more influence than a low ranked politician.

She wasn't sure what he wanted her for, but she doubted it could be anything too ambitious. He was most likely feeling the effects of old age and wanted a personal doctor who could keep her mouth shut.

His rivals would pay through the nose if he had a crippling mental condition. Like Alzheimer though even Huntington or MS would severely undermine his credibility and whether or not he should be making crucial decisions.

The best way to counter someone blackmailing you was having something to blackmail them back with. So he probably had enough proof to throw her in jail if she didn't do exactly as he said.

She could still risk it, if the pay was good enough. But first she needed to find out how far his reach extended.

* * *

**Author notes**

I delayed posting because I felt I needed another African perspective on the battle which I somewhat satisfied with the last Ashanti pov. I was also delayed due to me moving to another city.

The reason I posted now though is because my laptop got the lethal blue screen and I got scared shitless when I thought I lost all my drafts.

To put things into perspective I drafted up to arc eleven so just over a hundred k words would have been lost. Luckily I anticipated this and put the arcs in doc manager ahead of time. but they would have been automatically erased five days after my laptop crashed thanks to the ninety days rule. And I only did it up to arc nine so I would still have been depressed.

Anyways I fixed my laptop and made a back up elsewhere but it motivated me to stop procrastinating and worrying about whether or not it was good enough. I spent most of my time writing new arcs anyways.

End self pity rant.


End file.
